Peacefulness

Is peacefulness an emotion? If it is, it is definitely a positive one. I sometimes think of peacefulness as a state of mind as in “peace of mind.” One definition of peace of mind is having mental freedom. That’s a state of mind in my opinion, but having that as a state of mind can lend itself to be emotionally freeing from the consequences of anguish or agitation.

Another aspect of peacefulness is being calm. Calmness is an emotion in many ways. It’s being tranquil and serene and at peace with the world around me. When I think of the opposite of calm, I think of agitation and unrest. Chaos comes to mind, too. When my thoughts are chaotic I definitely feel not at peace, not calm. So if being agitated is an emotion, peacefulness can also be an emotion.

I’m not used to thinking of peacefulness as an emotion. I want it to be something that just is . . . an objective, non-emotional type of thing, kind of a state of mind type of thing. If I can keep it in my head it seems less scary for some reason. But, peacefulness should not be scary. Maybe I’m just afraid that if it’s an emotion I will never feel it but if it’s a state of mind I can will myself to think it into being.

Another way of looking at peacefulness is serenity. Serenity is defined as calmness, peacefulness, but it means something deeper to me. Serenity has a sense to it that all is ultimately right in the world. For me serenity comes when I focus on God and knowing that He is ultimately in control of everything in the world. I have fleeting moments of that in my life . . . but they are fleeting.

The whole idea of peacefulness is baffling to me. I think I tend to feel more contentment than I do peacefulness. Maybe that’s because there always seems to be something I can be worrying about. When I’m worrying, I’m not experience peacefulness. Worrying goes along with the chaos, unrest and agitation. And, I worry a lot. So peacefulness is not an emotion I’m easily able to feel and as a result it is hard to identify it when, or if, it happens in my life.