The Moral Duty of Finding Inner Peace

Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it toward others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.

Etty Hillesum

Etty Hillesum wrote those words in her journal while she was an inmate at a Jewish prison camp in 1943. She was killed at Auschwitz soon after at the age of twenty-nine. I am in awe that such wisdom and maturity came from someone in that bitterly cruel circumstance, let alone someone so young. 

Her description of the cultivation of inner peace as a moral duty really struck me. I often think of my pursuit of peace as a self-centered endeavor, one sought for my personal benefit. But upon reflection, it’s obvious that my having a greater sense of peace also benefits those closest to me. We all know there is a distinct quality difference between spending time with a prickly person or a peaceful person. So it makes sense to extend that idea beyond my immediate inner circle. The more I am at peace, the more peace I bring to every situation and person I encounter, and therefore the more peace I spread into our troubled world. 

So how do we cultivate inner peace? For me, there are both surface things and deeper things that help. The surface things are schedule balance, rest, a day off each week, prayer and meditation, time alone, time with family and friends, serving others, exercise, and hobbies I enjoy. The deeper things are having a sense of meaning and purpose, loving and being loved, and experiencing hope and security. I find those later elements in my relationships with God and the people closest to me. When my surface habits get out of rhythm, or I neglect those deeper relationships, I lose my sense of peace.

So how about you? How’s your inner peace these days? What surface activities help cultivate it? What deeper elements do you need? Establish peace-generating habits. Prioritize peace-giving relationships. Focus on expanding your inner peace today, for yourself and our world. If you do, you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

This post (originally published in June 2021) was inspired by a meditation by Richard Rohr, founder of The Center for Action and Contemplation (www.cac.org). You can read more of Etty’s profound wisdom in that post here. The featured quote was by Etty Hillesum in An Interrupted Life: The Diaries, 1941-1943; and Letters from Westerbork, trans. Arnold J. Pomerans (Henry Holt and Company: 1996) p. 218.