Eudaimonia (noun) Origin: Greek | A contented state of being happy, healthy, and prosperous.
Sometimes, when you are in the heat of it all. Stress and fatigue are surrounding you. People are screaming, judging, commenting with their own opinions on your opinion.
“You should feel beautiful and you should feel safe. What you surround yourself with should bring you peace of mind and peace of spirit.” —Stacy London
You feel like the world is against you. You feel like there is just nothing left. It’s a spiral. It’s a tsunami. It’s devastation. It’s death. It’s destruction. Sometimes when you feel like you can not take one more thing:
“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” —Dalai Lama
Close your eyes.
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” —Desmond Tutu
Breathe deep.
“Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division.” —John Lewis
Listen. Listen to your heart.
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” —Jimi Hendrix
Feel. Feel the joy you once felt.. you once felt at even one time in your life.
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” —Saint Francis de Sales
Remember. Remember the surprise at the tiny little miracles of every day that some time later became commonplace.
“When things change inside you, things change around you.” —Unknown
Do. Do something. Anything. Anything that moves you to the better place.
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
“If you don’t know the guy on the other side of the world, love him anyway because he’s just like you. He has the same dreams, the same hopes and fears. It’s one world, pal. We’re all neighbors.” —Frank Sinatra
I don’t believe a happy state of mind just happens. Sometimes it’s a lot of freakn work. It’s not realistic to expect to be ecstatic every single day. However, it’s realistic to be happy more than not happy. If you are not happy more than you are happy, then you need to change your scenery. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, you control your reality and if you don’t. Start. Start doing things that bring you to Eudaimonia.
“Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.” —Hafsat Abiola
Finally I can highlight some of my favorite most recent photos from my lowly travels here. Texture form the Daily Post nails it. I am a very tactile person and Nepal is full of some amazing tactual statutes, walls and even people. (Though I have been keeping my hands to myself).
I hope you enjoy the following photos from the Maha Buddha Temple and Patan Durbar Square area.
Patan is one of the oldest royal cities in the Valley and it is a world heritage site. There are apparently 1,000s of Buddhist monuments scattered throughout this area.
It was crazy interesting. For example you can walk down these teeny, tiny alleyways and through these even smaller doorways and come into a Buddhist meeting place.
When you enter any area with a temple or shrine you need to walk to the left to go around it. Even if what you want to see is 3 feet to the right of the entry way. There was so much history here. And such tiny places to crawl through to get to them. Very few of us could enter into an area without ducking to get through the doors.
The dedication to texture, structure, history and peacefulness was amazing. I will in a future post highlight some of my favorite people shots from Nepal so far, but for now I will leave you with one of my very favorite people shots from this day.
“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh
International Day of Peace celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2011. Although it was first celebrated in 1982, it was established in 1981.
The following photos and songs exemplify peace to me or at the very least leave me with peaceful feelings. During my travels through Korea, China, Cambodia, Thailand and Peru I found several photographic examples that were white or represented peace. I hope you enjoy.
Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. – MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR
These bells on a white temple in Thailand when rang sent off a beautiful melody that resounded deep in my heart giving me a peaceful feeling.
There never was a good war, or a bad peace. – BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Stacking rocks in Korea was an act of meditation which was meant to bring about a peaceful feeling.. though in honesty, I didn’t always feel peaceful while attempting this feat.. it was harder than it appeared.
Peace can become a lens through which you see the world. Be it. Live it. Radiate it out. Peace is an inside job. – WAYNE DYER
A white temple in Cambodia seen through the cracks of another temple was inspiring. Many of the temples had incense and candles burning in them so when you walked through them sometimes almost making you swoon.
After a long, hopeless war, people will settle for peace, at almost any price. -SALMAN RUSHDIE
In Cambodia and most of the Asian Countries I have visited almost of the walls and doorways had amazing and intricate details of worshiping or praying images.
If you don’t know the guy on the other side of the world, love him anyway because he’s just like you. He has the same dreams, the same hopes and fears. It’s one world, pal. We’re all neighbors. – FRANK SINATRA
In Korea the white balloon symbolized peace and freedom and often these balloons were let loose into the air with candles inside so the white would glow bright and high into the sky.
Find peace in where and what you are. – CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI
Symbols of meditation and peace are spread throughout Japan.
At the heart of happiness lies peace. It is the last and the highest attainment of the soul. – HUGH BLACK
White statute in Korea.. solitary.. meditative..
If you don’t have peace, it isn’t because someone took it from you; you gave it away. You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can control what happens in you. – JOHN C. MAXWELL
White Cambodian Temple with brightly colored monk walking in front.
Peace is Possible
We’re trying to sell peace, like a product, you know, and sell it like people sell soap or soft drinks. And it’s the only way to get people aware that peace is possible, and it isn’t just inevitable to have violence. Not just war — all forms of violence. People just accept it … [but] We’re all responsible for everything that goes on, you know, we’re all responsible for Biafra and Hitler and everything. So we’re just saying “SELL PEACE” — anybody interested in peace just stick it in the window. It’s simple but it lets somebody else know that you want peace too, because you feel alone if you’re the only one thinking “wouldn’t it be nice if there was peace and nobody was getting killed.” So advertise yourself that you’re for peace if you believe in it.
JOHN LENNON
Solitary cross at the top of a hill in front of a church in Peru.
If you would like to join in this travel theme in honour of the International Day of Peace, here’s what to do:
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rfljenksy - Practicing Simplicity 