Looking for Peace?

 

When we were in the patient room waiting for the doctor to come in, I observed an electronic monitor on the wall.  It was giving a variety of information intermixed with an “inspirational” quote.  

It said:

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”

What is your first thought when you read this quote?  Are you nodding your head in agreement?  Don’t feel bad if you are; you are probably not alone, and there’s a reason why.

I am kind of a big quote person.  Lines jump out at me.  My phone is full of quotes that I wish I could keep in my head.  But this one, in the doctor’s office, stood out for a different reason.

My first instinct is to recoil when I read something like this. 

Why?

Well, I know that we make many personal decisions on a daily basis that collectively impact peace in our lives, but I also believe that God is the one in whom I ultimately find peace.  

To me, this quote smacked of individualism and immediately gave me the impression that it was implying a lack of need for God.  It seems to be saying that I, alone, can attain peace for myself, thank you very much.

Due to my inquisitive nature, I just couldn’t let it be (besides, we had a few minutes before the doctor was due.)

Looking up the author of the quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson, I learned that he went from Christianity to Transcendentalism.  Apparently, his belief system erred on extreme self-reliance, which confirmed my initial thoughts about the quote. 

Anyway, a discussion about Emerson is not really my intention here.  More to the point is my concern that seemingly innocuous “inspirations” like this probably come at us multiple times a day, causing us to absorb vague concepts about faith and religion, or confirming others we have accepted, without us even paying them much attention. 

How many other people really thought about that quote in the doctor’s office?  I would guess, not too many, and likely not even the person who designed the “ad” itself.  

It reminds me of when my husband, years ago, raised a point about John Lennon’s song Imagine.  I’ve always liked that song and never thought too much about the lyrics, until my husband brought the lyrics to the attention of a Catholic hospital that was going to use it for a promotion.

He suggested that they look closely at the lyrics and consider whether they really wanted to use a song that begins with “Imagine there’s no heaven.”  I know there’s a bit of a discussion about what Lennon meant, but still.

The truth is, we do absorb a lot from our surroundings, without even realizing it. Front and center in a culture that too often adopts ideas without thinking lies the concern that subtle reinforcement of things like this slowly moves us further into a state of ignorance.  I liken it to the frog in the pot that does not realize it is being cooked to death because the heat is being slowly raised.

Now I realize that whatever company put the Emerson quote on their monitor probably figured they were just putting a nice thought, a relaxing idea out there for a patient to read.  If you nodded in agreement with the quote, that might explain its appeal.

They probably didn’t think about Emerson and his radical ideas about religion.  Admittedly, I am not imagining there was some ulterior motive, but that’s my point.

Someone probably put it there without thinking about what it really says about individualism, God and where our peace ultimately lies. They picked up the quote and decided to use it, probably oblivious to the fact that they were reinforcing a man’s particular philosophy.

We don’t want to be like the frog in the pot.  It is important for us to pay attention to these seemingly trivial things, lest we one day find ourselves looking for peace in all the wrong places.

Janet Cassidy

Janetcassidy.com