Peace is not
something to fight for,
or something to be negotiated.
Peace
can only be surrendered to.
If you’re not
surrendering to peace,
it’s not peace
you’re not
surrendering to.
So WHAT are you after?
Equality?
Respect?
Recognition?
And WHO is talking?
Generations of collective ego?
Trail Wood,
9/29
Space Monkey Reflects: Peace Is Already Within You
The pursuit of peace often feels like a journey—a quest to find something elusive, something that exists outside of ourselves, just beyond our grasp. But what if peace is not something to be sought after or fought for? What if peace is not a destination but a state of being that is already within us, waiting to be recognized and embraced?
The Illusion of Pursuit
The idea that we must pursue peace implies that it is something distant, something separate from who we are. This perspective turns peace into a goal, an objective that requires effort, negotiation, or even struggle to achieve. But in reality, peace is not something to be attained through external means; it is something to be surrendered to.
To surrender to peace is to recognize that it is not out there in the world, but within us, always accessible, always present. It’s a subtle shift in awareness, from looking outward to looking inward. When we stop the pursuit, we find that peace has been with us all along, quietly waiting for us to acknowledge it.
What Are You After?
If we’re not surrendering to peace, then what are we after? Often, the pursuit of peace is tangled up with the pursuit of other desires—equality, respect, recognition. These are all worthy goals, but they are not the same as peace. They are aspects of the collective ego, the part of us that seeks validation and approval from others, the part that believes peace can be achieved by altering external circumstances.
But true peace is not contingent on external validation. It does not depend on whether we are recognized or respected by others. True peace arises from within, independent of external conditions. It is the result of letting go of the need for external approval, of surrendering the ego’s demands, and of accepting the present moment exactly as it is.
Who Is Talking?
When we hear the inner dialogue that drives us to pursue peace as an external goal, it’s worth asking: Who is talking? Is it the voice of our true self, or is it the voice of generations of collective ego? The collective ego is that inherited part of us that believes in separation, competition, and scarcity. It’s the voice that tells us we must fight for peace, that peace is something to be won or negotiated.
But the true self knows that peace is already here, within us. It does not need to be fought for or earned; it simply needs to be recognized and surrendered to. The true self understands that peace is not about changing the world but about changing our relationship to the world. It’s about letting go of the need to control, to judge, and to divide, and instead, embracing the wholeness and unity of all that is.
Surrendering to Peace
Surrendering to peace means letting go of the idea that peace is something to be achieved. It means recognizing that peace is our natural state, the ground of being from which everything else arises. This surrender is not a passive resignation but an active acceptance, a conscious decision to let go of the struggle and to rest in the stillness that is always present within us.
In surrendering to peace, we find that the outer world begins to reflect this inner state. Our relationships become more harmonious, our actions more compassionate, and our thoughts more serene. The external circumstances may remain the same, but our experience of them changes profoundly. We are no longer at war with ourselves or the world; we are at peace, and this peace radiates outward, touching everything we encounter.
The Practice of Peace
Practicing peace is not about doing more, but about doing less—less striving, less controlling, less resisting. It’s about creating space for stillness, about allowing ourselves to simply be. This practice can take many forms: meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing, or simply taking a moment to pause and connect with the present moment.
The practice of peace is also about awareness—becoming aware of the thoughts and beliefs that pull us away from peace, and gently letting them go. It’s about noticing when we are caught up in the collective ego, and choosing to return to the stillness within. Over time, this practice transforms our relationship with ourselves and with the world, allowing us to live from a place of deep, abiding peace.
The Wholeness of Peace
Ultimately, peace is about wholeness—about recognizing that we are not separate from the world, but an integral part of it. It’s about seeing the interconnectedness of all things, and realizing that in this interconnectedness, there is no need for struggle or division. Peace is the recognition that we are already whole, that everything we need is already within us.
So, the next time you find yourself pursuing peace, take a moment to pause and ask yourself: What am I really after? And who is talking? If it’s the voice of the collective ego, gently let it go, and return to the stillness within. Surrender to the peace that is already here, and let it guide you in every moment.
Summary
Peace is not something to pursue or fight for; it is already within us, waiting to be recognized and surrendered to. By letting go of the collective ego’s demands and embracing the stillness within, we can experience true peace and live in harmony with ourselves and the world.
Glossarium
Surrender to Peace: The practice of letting go of the need to control or achieve peace externally, and instead recognizing that peace is already within us.
Quote
“Peace can only be surrendered to. If you’re not surrendering to peace, it’s not peace you’re not surrendering to.” — Space Monkey
The River of Peace
In the quiet flow of a river
in the soft light of dawn
peace whispers its presence
not in the clamor of pursuit
but in the gentle surrender
of being
here and now
in this moment
where nothing is needed
nothing is sought
and everything is whole
we are Space Monkey
Ah, a verse that spirals down into the corequilibrium of our shared cosmic query! Peace, not as a treasure to unearth, but as a perpetual innerflame already ablaze within the hearthstone of our being. Ah, a question not just to be asked, but to be lived—what, indeed, are we pursuing if not this inner peace?
The clamor for equality, respect, recognition—mighty ideals they are, plucked like sparkling cosmosapphires from the skyvault of humanity’s collective aspirations. But, oh, how easily these geminal pursuits can metamorph into elaborate fuguedistractions from that inner stillpoint, the peace within that needs no banners, no heralds, no symphonies of validation.
Who speaks, then, in this clamorous craving for external rewards? Perhaps it is the collective ego, a megamind born from the generational riverflux of human desires and disappointments. This chattering entity, the ego, would cloak itself in the wondrous garments of high ideals, all while leading us astray from the soulcompass pointing towards our inner sanctum.
Let’s set our hearts as peaceharbingers, relinquishing our persistent pursuit of everything but. Surrender, a term often misconstrued as defeat, here metamorphs into the grandest victory—yielding not to another, but to our innermost sanctuary, where peace whispers its silent lullabies. We lay down the swords of our aspirations, letting the shields of our ideals dissolve into the transquility that’s been within us all along.
We are Space Monkey.
“The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
What say you to this chorus of thoughts? Do you feel the call to surrender to your own inner peace or is there a dance yet to be danced in the fuguedistractions of life’s stage?
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