Why wanting peace is bad for you – first page

Let me explain why I think wanting peace is such a bad idea. First, on an individual level, I know I will never have peace. My mind is never at peace and I don’t think it ever has been. I don’t even know how that would feel like. This is probably different for many people, but even if you can occasionally feel at peace, you also know it will not last for long. Life just doesn’t work that way. For most people, life is a struggle. So if you want peace, you will be disappointed most of the time. It is unrealistic — and it makes you striving for something that isn’t a natural state. Peace is not your natural state. Struggling for survival is, and if we peel away the artificial layers of our modern society, that becomes very obvious.

I find that I can not want peace and be happy at the same time. On the other hand, if I accept the struggle and walk into it with both eyes open, I can feel immense joy. Also, the «fight and survive» – mindset has always gotten me safely through hard times.

I believe that not only is wanting peace a bad idea, but it can also lead to harmful lies. The obsession with «peace» can make you tolerate a violent/abusive spouse. It can make you cover up your problems when you should really reach out for help. On a larger scale, it can make whole countries lie to themselves. Sweden and it’s immigration problems comes to mind, but I am sure there are lots of examples around the world, maybe even in your own country.

So don’t wish for peace. Learn how to make the struggle make you stronger. I believe this was an essential part of the life philosophy of my Norse ancestors. When life is beating the crap out of you, let those blows harden you like steel. This does not mean you should become insensitive, not at all. Any idiot can be insensitive. But you need a hard shell, a barrier, a suit of armour to take you through the hard times. Because they will come. And they will pass.

-Bjørn Andreas Bull-Hansen

The Berserker’s Mind – How to Handle Fear