![serenity peaceful.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/shadowspub/Eoc69ZoDqJRHekoAwDJupfhf9GiaoRU9puwFASBqyhM9xQYCQBXK27hpj2zWk5KmoXn.jpg)

One of the benefits of living in a rural area is the frequency I can experience serenity around me. It’s early morning as I write this, my windows are open, and even though my house sits just feet from a roadway between two communities, the quiet is broken only occasionally by a car travelling along the road.

Where I grew up was a bit further off the main highway. I remember many an evening sitting outside after nightfall, hearing only the rustle of nature, the air dotted with fireflies in the summer time.

### Serenity: A State of Mind and Environment

I still value those times of quiet and serenity. So many live in environments where there is a constant buzz of activity around them. I’ve had occasion to be in a large city late at night. Even when there’s very few people around, there is a constant hum in the air. It’s not a world I’d want to live in.

For most people, serenity is a state of mind more than the state of their surroundings. Having both is a most satisfying experience though. Being surrounded by a serene environment is much easier to attain than a mindset of serenity.

### Historical Roots of Serenity 

The concept of a mindset of serenity goes back to ancient times. Oddly enough the word ‘serenity’ doesn’t appear to have been used in the English translations of the Bible, Torah or the Quran. The first known use of the word in English was in the 15th century, it’s not a new term.

### Serenity Across Cultures and Religions 

The Bible has an emphasis on peace, calm and tranquility. All aspects of serenity. The Torah’s central theme is that of peace which is often associated with the idea of completeness, fulfillment and wellbeing. The Quran also has writings about tranquility and peace of reassurance as a theme within the writings.

As people have moved away from religious practices, they’ve not moved away from wanting to attain a state of serenity. Their methods often use practices from ancient faiths even if they are not aware of their roots. Practices like yoga and meditation find their roots in ancient traditions with the goal of attaining a peaceful, balanced mindset.

### The Universal Aspiration for Serenity

The concept of serenity, a state of calmness and tranquility is a universal aspiration across cultural and religious boundaries. In many ways, it’s a beacon of light pointing toward being able to find inner peace in the middle of life’s storms.

Imagine, if everyone mindfully sought inner peace for themselves and those around them. Imagine if it became central to our decisions. We’d see a lot more peace in the world.

Sadly, in a world of opposites, without some chaos at times, that peace would never be maintained. If we don’t experience what chaos is, we wont strive to keep the peace. We don’t usually know what we have until we experience the not having.

### The Challenge of Maintaining Serenity 

There are other challenges to getting to the point of a serenity mindset. To truly reach that point within ourselves, it does take a fearless introspection, patience and a willingness to navigate that complex world within ourselves.

### The Serenity Prayer: A Guide for Troubled Times 

The Serenity Prayer so often associated with recovery groups points to the destination of recovery or living for that matter:
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference."

You could change “God” to whatever fits your belief or drop it and still see the value in the rest of the words.

The prayer is most commonly credited to an American theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr. He used the prayer in a sermon at the Heath Evangelical Union Church in Heath, Massachusetts around 1934.

There is some debate on exactly where it came from. There has been claims of versions of the prayer found in much older texts. There was also an earlier version of the prayer found in the Santa Cruz Sentinel of March 15, 1933. That version was written by Winnifred Crane Wygal an official of the YWCA.

Regardless of who penned the words, the prayer is a concise pointer toward calming the mind in troubled times. A reminder of where we can go from the turmoil but, it is a journey. The mind is not easy to calm at the best of times. Ever tried to sit in stillness and quiet your thoughts? Like for meditation.

### The Constant Stream of Thoughts: An Obstacle to Serenity

There is a constant stream of thoughts in our minds. Sometimes there’s even streams upon streams if you really pay attention. Michael Singer in his book “Untethered Soul” refers to the constant stream of thoughts as having an uninvited roommate in the mind.

### Understanding Our Reactions: A Step Towards Serenity 

Coming to a point of being able to roll with the ebb and flow of life without it knocking us down is not always easy. It does mean discerning the difference between what you can change or influence and what you just need to accept as it is.

In understanding the interconnectedness between all living beings, we start to learn that not everything actually happens to us, it’s often a reflection of the state of the sender, not the receiver. It’s out of the receiver’s control to change.

Humans tend to be a reactive bunch. It does really take some learning, self-exploration and patience to reach a point of serenity where we can roll with the punches.

### My Personal Journey Towards Spirituality and Serenity 

Over the last several months I’ve been exploring spirituality and my own inner journey. I am part of a group of people who are at different stages of their journeys and I do a lot of reading. Among the many books I’ve been regularly reading is the Bible..

I was raised in a church environment. Over the years the trappings and doctrine of religion left a bitter taste in my mouth. I moved away from any active exploration of faith. It’s a breath of fresh air to explore these ancient writings without religion attached to it.

When you think about, Christ didn’t teach religion, he taught about faith. The Christian religion is based on his teachings but has been corrupted by the human touch that has hurt far too many. I’m learning to distance the wisdom in the writings from the arrogance of religion. There’s a serenity in making that distinction.

![Badges 2023.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/shadowspub/48GE3qrZTUAtaBCAH5WWdYcaruE89Tf4gWuQAkwde1qQnXqiQSfHdxF4Q5uiYJGA9W.JPG)

*Shadowspub writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms and enjoys creating books you use like journals, notebooks, coloring books etc. Her Nicheless Narrative podcast airs on Thursdays each week.* 

  NOTE: unless otherwise stated, all images are the author’s. <br>
Some of the image work may have been done in Midjourney for which I hold a licence to use the imges commercially. <br>

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