Calmness

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Pope Shenouda III

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Spirituality

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COPTIC ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE

CALMNESS BY H.H. POPE SHENOUDA III

Title: Calmness.

Author: H. H. Pope Shenouda Ill.

Translated by: Glynis Younan

Press: Dar El Tebaa El Kawmia.

Edition: June 1989 - 1st edition.

Public Library deposit No : 5092/1989.

Revised: COEPA - 1997

H.H. Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of Alexandria and the See of
St. Mark
Forward
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One
God. Amen.

This book is the result of four lectures, two of which I gave at the
Cathedral in Cairo along with two others which I gave at the
Monastery of Anba Bishoy in Wadi Natrun on 27th August and 3rd
September, 1983.

All four lectures are available as tape recordings, which you can
obtain from the tape libraries at the Monastery of Anba Reweis and
from various churches.

This book is about calmness, and is part of a larger spiritual

compilation, 'Landmarks of the Spiritual Way' , which we hope will
be published shortly, if God wills.

Pope Shenouda III

This noisy, clamorous period in which mankind lives on the earth

cannot be compared in any way with the peace which has existed
since eternity and which will last forever . It is but a troubled drop in
the ocean of that endless peace.

Maybe the angels are looking at our world in astonishment and

perhaps they are saying:

What is all uproar on this planet?!

And why do the people live in such a tumult?!

When will they calm down?

It is certain that they will not calm down unless they reach us,
because calmness is the way of life in heaven.

CHAPTER I: The Beauty of Calmness and its

Sublimity
The History of Calmness

Peace is the original state of this universe. It was also the original
state before the world was created. Since the beginning of time,
God alone has been in perfect peace. Millions of years have passed
or millions of millions of years, more than that even; in fact before
time existed and before its dimensions were known, the original
state was peace.

God began to work in peace and His first work was the Creation. In
perfect peace God created everything... "Then God said , "Let there
be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was
good;" (Genesis 1:3-4).

"Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields
seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, '; and it
was so. ... And God saw that it was." (Genesis 1:11-12). Thus each
stage of the Creation was accomplished in peace. God created the
world and the world lived in peace. As an example of that there are
the heavenly bodies moving in the celestial sphere, with total
precision and order, in total peace, without any confusion; day
followed by night, night followed by day, without noise and without
struggle.

So when did the world begin to lose its peace?

That was after God formed creatures with a mind and possessing
free will.

These creatures who were endowed with intelligence, spent a

period of calm in which no one quarrelled and no one argued with
anyone else, no one raised any objections and no one disagreed or
rebelled. There was no one who provoked a problem or disturbance
in any form.

Then there was the first loss of peace, for which Satan was to
blame.

Satan lost the peace of his heart from within, when the concept of
pride entered him. (Isaiah 14:13-14). A desire to be like God
entered his heart, and this desire rendered his whole heart troubled
thus he lost his calmness. Not content with that, though, he in fact
led a rebellion in heaven and brought down with him angels of
various ranks. A result of the free will which he had misused.

Satan and his angels were banished from heaven and heaven
became peaceful.

As far as human beings were concerned, Adam lived first of all in

peace, while he was in the Garden of Eden. Even the wild beasts
lived with him in peace, there was no enmity or strife between them.
They did not kill him as their prey or attack him and he did not hunt
or pursue them. He did not fear them, but rather a bond of harmony
and peaceful coexistence united them. The same situation occurred
with the wild beasts and creatures which were with our father Noah
in the Ark. Predatory animals were not predatory in Adam's time.
Hunting for prey had not yet entered the world since the world still
retained its peace. The wild creatures at that time used to eat grass
(Genesis 1: 29), they did not hunt down animals that were weaker
than themselves or prey upon a creature of a different species such
as Adam. There was not that 'wildness' in them which was to earn
them the name of wild beasts. They were peaceful, and so was
man.

The amazing thing is that man lost his peace while he was still in the
Garden of Eden, which happened after he sinned. When he sinned
he was afraid, and he hid behind the trees. When he sinned he felt
ashamed of his nakedness and sewed fig leaves together to cover
himself. And God banished Adam and Eve from Paradise.

Then there was the sin of Cain when he lost the peace of his heart
because of his envy of his brother Abel. His inner feelings
developed to the point that he, "rose up against Abel his brother and
killed him." (Genesis 4:8). When Cain killed his brother he lost his
peacefulness forever, and he lived as a restless wanderer and a
fugitive on earth, afraid of God and of people. (Genesis 4:12-14).
The psychological disorders of fear, anxiety and confusion began to
disturb him deeply. He was the first to exhibit these disorders and
the one who introduced them into human nature. Cain's fear of God
was surpassed by his fear of people, and his bitter cry was: "My
punishment is greater than I can bear! ... anyone who finds me will
kill me" (Genesis 4:13-14).

Cain's killing of Abel was the introduction to the wars which were to
sweep over the earth later, and which caused the world to lose its
peacefulness.

Lamech, one of the descendants of Cain, was also a murderer. And

having confessed this to his two wives, he said: "If Cain shall be
avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold." (Genesis
4:24)

This is how vengeance was introduced to the earth and the world
was filled with evil and lost its peace. Tyrants and oppressors
populated the earth and God drowned the raging world with the
Flood. And after the Flood, there was Nimrod who "he began to be a
mighty one on the earth." (Genesis 10:8). After the Tower of Babel,
the peoples on earth became dispersed and struggles broke out
between the nations. (Genesis 11:9). Human nature became corrupt
and lost its peace, which was encouraged by the rivalry and
contention between people. Eventually, on account of the
quarrelling of the shepherds for grazing land, we hear in connection
with two righteous men, Abram and Lot that , "Now the land was not
able to support them, that they might dwell together." (Genesis
13:6). It is a tragic story, in which man was changed from the depths
of peacefulness to restlessness.

Therefore what is calmness? What are its elements? What are its
effects? What are the virtues that are linked with calmness and
which are lost with its loss? How can man obtain peace and remain
in it? These and other things are what we wish to deal with in this
little book.

The Elements of Calmness

Calmness has to involve the human being's whole life: inwardly and
outwardly; what is apparent and what is hidden. Thus it must
include:

1. Inner calmness: which is made up of tranquillity of the

mind, serenity of the heart and calmness of the thoughts.
2. Calmness of the body: which consists of the stillness of the
 senses and calmness of movement.
3. Calmness of the nerves: which consists of the serenity of
the features and the spirit of cheerfulness.
4. Calmness of speech: which also includes calmness of the
voice.
5. Calmness of behaviour: which consists of a serenity in
practical matters of life and in private behaviour, and a calm
approach to solving any problem which the individual might
meet.

There are other things which are connected to all these

kinds of calmness, which are:

a. Peace of nature, a peaceful environment and quiet place

in which to live.

b. Virtues associated with calmness

c. Nature of calmness: is it true peace or just a superficial or

temporary calm, or the calmness of inexperience?

d. Practical examples of true calmness.

True Calmness

1. We cannot judge whether a person is calm or not until his

calmness has been tested.

A person may appear calm, because the external conditions

which surround him are calm. No problem or provocation
 has yet occurred to put his calmness to the test. Though if
you clash with him he will probably show his real self, and
show whether he is calm or not.

It is only when one person clashes with another over a

matter of opinion or behaviour, or when insult or injury
befalls him or he is faced with hurtful words that, according
to how he behaves, he can be judged as to his calmness.

It is the same situation if he falls into a problem or into

adversity, or becomes ill or faces some difficulty. All of these
could be a test for his disposition and his nerves. How does
he behave, how does he react? Does he lose his calmness,
or does he endure and solve the problem calmly?

This is the first test of true calmness. Any person can be

calm when circumstances are calm.

2. The second test, however, is how long the calmness lasts.

Real calmness is a continuous tranquillity, something like a
characteristic. It is not to be calm for a period of time after
which a person loses that calm and changes its way of
holding out in the face of problems.

True calmness is not just training for endurance for a

specific period of time. It is a tranquil nature which continues
in its calmness however long the time and however the
situation changes.

True peace is not a veil behind which a restless character

hides, only to be brought to light by unexpected events!

The person who is tranquil by nature is not hurt by problems

or clashes, rather the contrary, they show up his
 compassion, his gentleness and kindness of heart.

Saint Paul the Apostle lived in difficult surroundings , "in

tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in
imprisonments,... ", nevertheless he said in the introduction
to all this, that it was, "in much patience,". (2 Corinthians
6:4-5) And he said, in the spirit of faith, "Therefore we do not
lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet
the inward man is being renewed day by day." (2
Corinthians 4:16). He also referred to all his problems and
hardships by the phrase, "For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment". (2 Corinthians 4:17).

3. True calmness is not external but internal. This calmness

does not only show on the outside whilst a volcano rages
within. On the contrary, a person's internal peace is the
source and origin of his outer calmness. We will speak about
this point in greater detail when we talk about the tranquillity
of the heart.

4. There is a difference between true calmness and

impassiveness, which might well be a kind of coldness that
is meant to provoke. The calm person, one who loves
peace, is not only calm himself, but tries to make others
around him calm to spread peace around them. But it might
sometimes happen that a person with strong nerves may put
up with a fretful friend, replying to him very calmly or very
coolly in a way that actually provokes his nerves even more,
and makes him more agitated. This increased agitation is
then met with even greater calmness and cold composure
on the part of the one with the stronger nerves, who takes
pleasure in provoking his unfortunate friend and making him
an object of criticism in front of those present. This sort of
calmness is not at all what is meant by spiritual calmness.
 The spiritually calm person does not demolish another
through his own calmness. His fretful brother is entrusted in
his care. He is responsible for safeguarding his brother's
nerves and reputation and to lead him to find peacefulness
too. Consequently, he would not provoke his friend because
he himself is a lover of peace. He wants peace for others
just as he wants it for himself. He does not let the Devil of
False Glory attack him with a 'bogus peace', in which he
would provoke his brother to become his angry and agitated
adversary by maintaining a false, proud, superior calmness
at his brother's expense. Satan would indeed be pleased to
see him induce such an angry and exasperated state in his
opponent. The successful person does not gain spiritual
satisfaction from seeing the downfall of another, but rather,
as a result of his own calmness, spreads peace to all. He
meets others calmly, whether they are for him or against
him. If he finds that the other person is angry, he placates
him with a gentle reply and not one likely to rouse his anger.
(Proverbs 15:1)

5. The peaceful person may be calm by nature by being born

that way or, his calmness may have been acquired. The
naturally calm person does not make great efforts to arrive
at a state of calmness, because he shuns all that is not
peaceful. As far as acquired calmness is concerned though,
this requires effort and practice and is a subject which we
will discuss later, God willing. Every effort that is made to
reach a state of peace has its own reward.

A person who needs to strive to acquire calmness may

attain such a state gradually. But having attained it, he no
longer has to make such strenuous efforts because at this
stage, he will have become firmly grounded, stable and
experienced in the life of peace. Thus he retains that which
 he has acquired by hard work and of course by the great
assistance of God's grace. Saint Moses the Black is a good
example of someone who acquired calmness through
training. He was not born like that, but in fact he started life
as a cruel murderer. Then when he entered the monastic
life, he began to discipline himself in calmness until he
mastered it so well that when he was called for his
ordination as a priest, and the Pope ordered him to be sent
away in order to test him, Saint Moses left quietly, blaming
himself without feeling upset inside. Then, when they
allowed him to return, he went back quietly without hurting
his dignity. In view of this, it was not so strange that one of
the saints saw him in a vision being fed on honeycomb by
the angels. If you are not calm by nature, do not make
excuses saying: "What can I do?! I was just born that way!!

Even if you were born that way, or inherited a lack of

calmness from father or mother, that is no excuse. You can
change what you inherited. Someone who has not obtained
natural calmness can acquire calmness by training himself,
and striving hard to gain it. The qualities which a person is
born with are not as a fixed rule unable to be changed. They
are so easily changed if the good intention exists,
accompanied by a sincere determination, hard work and
effort, then the Lord will give you a new heart, removing from
you the heart of stone and giving you a heart of flesh as he
promised. (Ezekiel 36:26)

Virtues Connected with Tranquillity

1. Tranquillity has a relationship with love, to which it

 gives and from which it takes. The loving person is
tranquil in his relationships with people. He does not react
against them, because he loves them. As for hatred, if it
enters the heart, it is like a raging volcano which never
quiets, it wants vengeance and wants to demolish. It does
not subside until it has achieved what it wants and has
ruined everything else. The world needs love and peace in
order for its problems to be solved. They can be solved by
reconciliation and peace with calmness. In the calmness of a
discussion that is soaked with love, people can come
together in order to solve their problems, however much
their views differ. If calmness disappears, however, love
disappears with it, since love cannot exist alongside
confusion and disorder, sharp voices and discourteous
behaviour. You can love the peaceful person, his calmness
attracts you. The features of his face alone make you love
him. His calm manner of dealing with things makes you love
him too. If you should get irritated with him for any reason,
his tranquillity will overcome you and avert your irritation.
Thus the Lord spoke well of the meek in heart, that they will
inherit the earth by which is meant the earth here, and
heaven. They will obtain people's love on earth because of
their meekness and peacefulness, just as they will obtain the
land of the living too. (Psalm 27:13)
2. Thus the virtue of calmness is also connected to peace:
the calm person is always peaceful and the peaceful person
is also calm. The calm person, "He will not quarrel nor cry
out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets." (Matthew
12:19), as was said about the Lord Jesus. Thus he lives
peacefully with people because he does not quarrel with
anyone or raise his voice at them, and because he does not
solve his problems with people by using force but calmness.
 Peace may well be lost between one rude person and
another, but it is not lost between a rude person and a calm
one, because the calm one can withstand the rude. It is
rather like the saying that fire cannot be extinguished by fire,
but by water. If the calm person by his calmness can pacify
the rude, then it goes without saying that peace can exist
between two calm people. Calmness is one of the
manifestations of inner peace, it is also a factor which
contributes to it. Whoever maintains his calmness maintains
his inner peace.
3. The relationship between calmness and gentleness is
self-evident, since calmness is a branch of gentleness, or
one of its outward signs, so that one could say that they are
interchangeable. When you speak about the calm person,
you are also speaking about gentleness. The person who
loses his calm obviously loses his gentle temper. When we
speak of the relationship between calmness and gentleness,
we are just speaking about the relationship between the part
and the whole.
4. The relationship between calmness and depth:
The calm person, through his calmness, can reach the
depths, if he has a gift for contemplation. But it is not
necessarily the case that a calm person is deep.
It would be more correct for us to say that every deep
person is calm. Here I marvel at an expression given by one
of the spiritual men of letters, which I have probably
repeated to you on more than one occasion, which is:
"When God cast me as a pebble into the lake of life, I
caused bubbles at its surface and circles rippling out to
infinity. But when I reached the bottom, I became calm."
The waves are turbulent on the surface of the sea, just as
the depths of the sea, or the bottom of the ocean are calm,
so too is the person. When he is going through a
 unimportant period and living a superficial and shallow life,
he wants to cause ripples on the surface of life with circles
rippling outwards to infinity, but when he reaches a more
mature age and can think more deeply, he becomes calm.
The shallow, superficial person is restless, he goes around
trying to 'find' himself, or trying to fulfil himself, whichever
way he can.
5. At this point I would like to distinguish between depth
and intelligence, in relation to calmness. Some intelligent
people have an intelligence which is just intellectual ability.
Their spirits and hearts are not on the same level as their
minds, so they do not reach the full depth that is meant here,
by this I mean depth of thought, heart, mind and spirit. Not
every intelligent person is deep. But the deep person is
intelligent. The intelligent person who lacks depth may fall
into errors that make him lose his calmness. Therefore the
intelligent person can comprehend that which another
cannot and as a result regards this other person as his
inferior, and piles blame and scorn upon him if he works with
him or under his command, thus losing his calmness in his
dealings with him. Sometimes, on account of his
intelligence, he detects many other people's mistakes and
so becomes angry with them or becomes annoyed within
himself at their errors, and in this way loses his peace from
both inside and outside.
Intelligence, by itself, has troubles of its own if it is not
accompanied by meekness and humility. If the mind is
boisterous and thinks too highly of itself, it loses its
calmness. And if the mind is pompous and proud, it loses its
calmness and peace in its relationship with God and with
people. Whoever has been given intelligence by God must
pray that God will give him the meekness and humility of
heart so that intelligence does not degenerate into
arrogance and make him lose his peace.
6. The relationship between calmness and the virtue of
humility: Saint Dorotheus said: "The humble person does
not anger anyone, nor is he angered by anyone. " He does
not make anyone angry because he asks for the blessing
and prayers of everyone. He is not angered by anyone
because he always lays the blame for everything on himself.
Whoever is in this situation lives in peace with all people. If
he loses his humility, he loses his calmness. Likewise, the
humble person does not lose his calmness because of
running after desires, as he does not see himself as
deserving of anything and he does not want to be raised
above the situation which he is in already.
7. The relationship between calmness, faith and surrender:
Whoever lives a life of faith, lives in peace, surrendering his
whole life to God, accepting everything in faith from His
loving hands, is not upset or annoyed by anything, but rather
is continually peaceful, saying with the Prophet David:
"Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall
not fear." (Psalm 27) In faith he says, "All is for the best" . If
a problem surrounds him he has faith that God will solve it,
which is why his heart stays calm. If troubles exhaust him,
he says, "Their course will come to an end," and his heart
once again becomes calm. In contrast to this is the person
who is remote from the life of faith and surrendering to God,
whose thoughts tire him and who never becomes calm. If
problems occur they completely exhaust him because he
does not put before him the help that comes from above.
Those who do not live a life of faith try to disturb other
people's tranquillity by the harm and damage that they bring
upon them.
8. The connection between calmness and living with God:
How beautiful are the words of Saint Augustine in the book
of his confessions, when he addresses the Lord with this
 beautiful, deep phrase: "Our heart is restless until it finds its
rest in you." This is because the source of the heart's
tranquillity is not the world, with its passions and desires, but
God alone. No one who lives far from God can live in peace,
his heart remains troubled as if stopped by the winds of his
desires, until he comes to know God and experiences the
sweetness of living with Him. Only then does he find calm
and peace, like a traveller on a troubled sea who reaches
the port of safety.

The Benefit of Calmness

In calmness, a person can think in a balanced way. With calmness

he can solve his problems, with no agitation or confusion of
thoughts. In calmness he can deal with people and they accept his
words. Generally speaking, the peaceful person is loved by others.
How beautiful are the words of Saint Peter the Apostle: "the
incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit". (1 Peter 3:4)
Calmness, then, is something which beautifies the soul.

A life of calmness and quietness is a holy commandment to which

the Bible calls us. Saint Paul the Apostle said: "aspire to lead a quiet
life". (1 Thessalonians 4:11). The Bible also says: "Calmness can
lay great errors to rest". (Ecclesiastes10:4).

Even in practical matters of life, whatever is done calmly tends to

produce better results.

The Communion bread which is baked over a gentle flame turns out
perfectly, while that which they bake over a fierce flame gets burnt
on the outside and is underdone on the inside. In the same way,
any food that is cooked over a gentle flame turns out better and is
more beneficial to the health. In farming there is the example of land
which is irrigated gently.
In dealing with people, the calm way is more effective for the soul
and brings the right result. In contrast to this, forceful methods bring
bad reactions. We will talk about the benefits of calmness in more
detail in the coming chapters.

The Disadvantages of Lacking Calmness

The person who is not spiritually calm places the worries of the
world on himself, thus causing him many problems. He loses his
inner peace and experiences anxiety and mental frustration
because of the troubles involved. He may also experience
depression, sadness, and confusion. As a result, he may become
afflicted with numerous illnesses such as mental fatigue. Loss of
peace causes nervous tension and this results in a person losing his
peace of mind. Each is a cause and effect of the other. The person
whose nerves are not calm does himself harm, physically,
emotionally and socially.

He changes his personality and loses other people's respect for

him. The teacher who is calm and firm is respected by his pupils.
The one who rants angrily with threats, reprimands, and harsh
words towards his pupils, loses their respect for him and is not taken
seriously by them. Whenever they want to provoke him they can do
so easily.

Likewise a mother who shouts loudly, scolds, yells, smacks and

threatens her children, imagining that by doing this that she is
bringing them up properly, instead makes her relationship with them
a constant row and struggle.

The person who is not calm loses his composure with other people.
He gets angry with them and they get angry with him. If he loses his
calmness and clashes with them, how easy it is for them to react in
the same way! He loses their friendship and love and he may also
lose their respect. He may be confronted with their hostility and
enter into bad relationships. If he loses his calmness he may
become noisy, unruly and start creating trouble. He may become
rebellious and rude. By losing his peace, his internal confusion may
also become apparent externally with his behaviour appearing
unbalanced. Because he is not calm, the slightest word bothers him,
the slightest action of another provokes him.

He may have a desire for revenge, to defend himself, to prove his

existence, or to preserve his dignity, becoming agitated without
achieving any result, and thus clashing with others. The calm
person, even if provoked, replies calmly and wins the situation as a
result of his calmness.

A person who is not calm loses in a conflict and mistakes are pinned
on him. Perhaps he is the one who was originally wronged, but
replying rudely or answering with the wrong reply results in the
situation being reversed. He becomes the aggressor rather than the
injured party!!

The calm person, however, even if the discussion gets overheated,

can calm it down. As the Bible says: "A soft answer turns away
wrath." (Proverbs 15:1) and also: "The quiet words of the wise are
more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools " (Ecclesiastes
9:17). The person who is not calm is prone to many errors, while the
Bible says: "Calmness can lay great errors to rest" also: "A
wholesome tongue is a tree of life," (Proverbs 15:4).

We cannot calculate the damage and negative effects that result

from handling things with violence, forcefulness, or tension. A
restless person might imagine that by expressing himself so
forcefully, he is expressing his masculinity and strength of
character!!
A forceful and aggressive approach does not in any way prove
masculinity or strength of character. The calm person is always
stronger because he is able to control his temper and words,
stronger also because he has risen above the level of being easily
provoked or incited, stronger because in his calmness he is able to
control the situation and think of a way of solving the difficulty
without getting upset. Thus the Apostle says: "We then who are
strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak" . (Romans 15:1).

What a deep stumbling block it is for children whose parents

quarrel. The house loses its calmness and the father and mother
are tense, perhaps they are abusive or fight each other. Each wants
to prove that they are stronger, that they are right, that they can give
as good an answer as the other. The result is that they lose their
children's respect because of the stumbling block and bad example
they represent. These parents also lose their good reputation with
the neighbours, who may start to say "that is a house which has lost
its peace"! Perhaps the following pages will clarify in greater detail
the negative effects of losing one's calmness.

Examples of Calmness

The most outstanding example is God Himself, blessed be His

name. If only we could contemplate the tranquillity in which God
created the world and the peace the Bible speaks about in the
events of the Creation.

For example, the Bible says: "And God said, 'Let there be light', and
there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated
the light from the darkness." (Genesis 1:3). This wonderful event is
conveyed by the simple phrase, "and there was light".

The peace of God in the face of paganism and atheism is

something quite marvellous. There are those who deny the
existence of God or who worship stones and statues instead of Him,
yet no rebellion is raised in heaven against them. God does not
send down fire from heaven to burn them or destroy them. People
blaspheme against God, but He is calm. Yet these blasphemers
remain alive to live and enjoy themselves, as if nothing has
happened.

Indeed, men seek their revenge against God, but God does not
seek to avenge Himself! God is leaving them all until the Day of
Judgement, and for now, he still offers them opportunities to repent
and return.

In fact, even more than this, the Bible says of God that He: "He
makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on
the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:45), which means that the
wicked and the unjust enjoy his universal blessings too, just as if
they had not broken his commandments!!

How great is God's calmness also in his dealings with Satan!!

This evil being who opposes the Kingdom of God so violently and
with such indifference, trying with all his craftiness to keep people
away from God and to spread corruption on earth. Nevertheless,
Satan still exists. Although it has always been within God's power to
destroy him and wipe him out, God has not done that. He confronts
all Satan's disobedience calmly and has left him on the principle of
giving him his equal opportunity to test the believers until he obtains
his punishment on the Last Day.

Sometimes the Devil goes too far and God calmly stops him when
he has reached the limit. He often removes Satan's evil and trials far
away from us, so calmly that we are not even aware of it.

Look at the stillness in which the miracle of the Incarnation was

performed. The Lord came to our world very quietly, not in a
procession of Cherubim or in the midst of psalms and hymns from
the angels, but in such quiet circumstances that Herod did not
realise it or know where he was to be found! Many people on
entering a place are preceded by their noisy fuss, they raise their
voices to indicate their arrival or call to others from here and there.

Further, look at how quietly God performs miracles. Miracles often

happen in secret without anyone seeing and without God
announcing them, and people only learned of it later. So many
miracles have taken place which have not been written about in the
Bible, "if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the
world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (John
21:25).

As an example of this there are the miracles which happened during

the visit of the Holy Family to Egypt, which were performed quietly
and not recorded in the Gospels. We only know of a few of them
that history has recorded. Look also at heaven with its serenity,
filled with the angels and the saints. They are a wonderful example
of calmness. All the angels who are there carry out God's
commands with amazing swiftness and quietness. They have put
before them the phrase, "Thy will be done". The angels also work on
earth with us and around us, in such wonderful calmness that we
may be unaware of them and their actions. Even so, "Are they not
all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit
salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14). In the same quiet way the saints work
with us. They have learned serenity from the Lord Jesus.

Reflect also upon the tranquillity of the Lord Jesus when he lived as
a man on earth, the calm replies he gave to his adversaries among
the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, high priests and elders of the
people, and the remarkable calmness with which he faced their
challenges, insults and false accusations. Look at how he replied to
them objectively and persuasively without rising at their hurtful
words, when they said to him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are
a Samaritan and demon-possessed?" Or when they said of Him that
He was, "a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and
sinners!" (Matthew 11:19).

What is more amazing still is the Lord's calmness during his arrest.
He waited calmly for that hour, and faced it calmly: both inwardly
and outwardly. He stood saying calmly to them, ""Whom are you
seeking?" And when they replied, "Jesus of Nazareth" , He said, "I
am He" . On account of his extreme composure the soldiers drew
back and fell to the ground. (John 18:5-8)

Calmly he received the kiss of Judas the Traitor without hurting his
feelings in return. In fact He said to him, "Friend, why have you
come?" (Matthew 26:50).

All of Christ's behaviour at that critical hour was extremely calm. He

was concerned for the safety of his disciples and said to the
soldiers, "If you seek Me, let these go their way". (John 18:8). When
Peter the Apostle wanted to use force and drew his sword and
struck the servant of the high priest cutting off his ear, the Lord
charged him to preserve the peace saying, "Put your sword in its
place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword." (Matthew
26:52).

During His trial He was very calm "He was led as a lamb to the
slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He
opened not His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7). In the council of the
Sanhedrin they confronted him with accusations, "But He kept silent
and answered nothing." (Mark 14:61). Before him were false
witnesses whose testimonies did not agree. Before Pilate, He was
also very calm. He stood silent and when He spoke His answers
baffled the governor so that he said: "what evil has He done? I have
found no reason for death in Him." (Luke 23:22).

When Jesus was buried, he rose from the dead in such a

remarkable, quiet way, at an hour of which no one knew, without
any noise, without any announcement before the people and
without any outward show of greatness and power, that the Jews
even doubted his resurrection. Thus they spread rumours that his
disciples had come by night and stole his body (Matthew 28:13-15).
What a wonderful thing?! We do not have the time here, nor are we
able to speak about all that took place so quietly.

From the example of the Lord comes the calmness of the martyrs
during their martyrdom; remarkable calmness during their arrests,
during their trials and torture, in their periods of imprisonment and at
the hour of death. In fact, they used to sing hymns and psalms in
praise of God while in the depths of prisons, just as Paul and Silas
did when they were in the inner dungeon with their feet bound (Acts
16:24-25).

How did they face death in such total calmness and total joy?

Their stories which are long and have many aspects, give a shining
picture of tranquil spirits whose peacefulness was derived from a
deep faith in a better life after death, or perhaps from visions and
revelations which provided assurance to the soul on its eternal
course.

The stories of the tranquillity of the saints during their lives are long
and wonderful, but perhaps we can just present a few examples of
them here.

There was the peacefulness in which our fathers lived in the desert,
the wonderful tranquillity of nature, the stillness of the soul within
that they showed and the serenity of its thoughts and
contemplations. There is also the calmness with which they faced
the attacks of the Devils, without fear or distress. Also the calm in
which they conducted their lives, so that it was said of them that
they were 'earthly angels or heavenly humans'. This was due to the
excellence of the gentle way of life by which they were
characterised and the calmness of nature which they showed by not
rebelling or getting angry however much external factors pressed
upon them and however much they were exposed to insults and
false accusations.

How wonderful was the tranquillity of Saint Marina for example,

when she was accused of adultery - as a man - and of having
fathered a son from a young girl like herself! And how she spent a
period of repentance for a sin she did not commit, all without the
least complaint or grumble!

Then there is the example of the saint whom they called AIHabila (ie
foolish), in the days of the Saint Anba Daniel. How she endured
continuous insults with total serenity and joy as though they were
crowns upon her head.
CHAPTER 2: Types of Calmness
Calmness is composed of various elements: calmness of
temperament, tranquillity of the nerves and stillness of the body,
which includes the serenity of the senses, movements and features.
There is also inner calmness, the peacefulness of the soul, which is
made up of the tranquillity of the heart and thoughts. From this also
comes calmness of speech and behaviour.

The person who is really calm, is calm in every way. His behaviour
is calm, his dealings with people are calm. He lives with an inner
peace which radiates as peace on the outside. Whatever peace
there is inside him overflows as peace outside him. If he speaks he
speaks calmly, even if he is being firm and correcting another, he
does so calmly.

He does not lose his calmness whatever the reason might be,
whatever the provocation from outside, because he is accustomed
to being calm, and calmness has become part of his character.

Calmness of Temperament

Some people may be born calm by nature or temperament, or might

have inherited calmness from their parents, while others have
trained themselves to be calm by practising it and making it a habit
so it became their nature.

Others, however, are the opposite, they have no calmness in their

character, their nature is fiery. Wherever one of them stays, tension
accompanies him and the temperature rises. His unrest precedes
him. He is tantamount to a burning flame which wherever it is cast,
ignites and burns and explodes in sparks. His glances are full of fire,
his words are bombshells, his requests are orders and threats that
have to be carried out immediately.

When someone with a fiery character finds a quiet-natured person,

he tries to provoke him, but if the calm person encounters a fiery
one he tries to pacify him.
What is your character like? Is it a fiery one or a peaceful one?

If the former is the case, and you have a fiery nature, do not despair
and do not give up and submit to it as if it were something
unchangeable even if you were born with it. Characteristics can be
changed and, when trained, can become their opposite.

Saint Moses the Black at the start of his life had a harsh frightening,
murderous nature, but he was transformed into a gentle, calm
person who loved people and was loved by them, a welcoming
person, smiling and meek.

Saint John the Beloved did not begin his life that way, for both he
and his brother James were nicknamed Boanerges, meaning Sons
of Thunder (Mark 3:17). When one of the Samaritan villages refused
to accept the Lord, James and John asked him if they could, "call
fire down from heaven to destroy them”. (Luke 9:54). But with time
and through the actions of the Holy Spirit, this fiery nature calmed
down and John was turned into John the Beloved who spoke of
love.

When it comes to calmness, what a difference there is between the

nature of the roots and the nature of the boughs and branches. The
branches, by their very nature, bow and bend with the winds to left
and right according to the wind's direction, and may cause a soft or
loud sound as they bend. But the roots extend into the ground
quietly without a sound, drawing in their nourishment and feeding
the restless branches too.

Let us now move from calmness of character to another point which

is:

Calmness of The Nerves

There are individuals whose temper is calm, and others whose
temper is inflamed. The person with a calm temper does not get
upset quickly and perhaps even slowly. It is as if he is an
unshakeable mountain, or like the six great stones which are
exposed to the Nubian Nile which, however much the waves surge
against them, remain calm, fixed in their place, unaffected by the
disturbance around them.

But the person whose nerves are raw is easily agitated, he rants
and raves perhaps for the most trivial of reasons, or for no reason at
all, just because of his inner doubts and imaginings.

The person whose temper is calm is a strong person because

external factors cannot provoke him but rather his strong nerves are
able to resist them. And because of this inner strength, he gains
people's respect and admiration.

As for the one who is agitated and shouting, however much he

rages and creates a fuss, abuses and threatens, and seems to
frighten others, he does not gain anyone's respect. His agitation
indicates the weakness of his temper, or the weakness of his
character.

If anyone wishes to make a spectacle or an object of ridicule of this

week person, he can. For example, if there is a teacher whose
nerves are weak, he is unable to bear a mistake or outburst from a
student, so that any pupil could say to his classmate, "Do you want
to see me make this teacher get all worked up?" He isn't dreaded to
the pupils at all. He just looks ridiculous. So then he behaves in a
way that he knows will provoke the teacher and then sits back to
watch!

Calm nerves depend on two things: the physical state and the
psychological. There are many physiological reasons for the nerves
to become exhausted but we will not go into them all now. We will
turn our attention here to a physical cause which often drains
people's nerves, even the best of people, and that is tiredness. If the
body is exhausted because of tiredness and strain, then the nerves
get to the point of being unable to bear anything.

My advice to you if you find yourself in such a situation is, not to

enter into a long conversation or lengthy discussion with anyone,
especially with those who hold rigid views, and who are not easily
persuaded. It is not right, in such a state of exhaustion, to try and
decide important matters or solve problems. Take care not to get
into arguments when you are exhausted, for you may lose your
temper.

The state of exhaustion requires sleep, or at least rest and

relaxation. Your loved ones must take note of your state of tiredness
and not draw you into a discussion or try to solve problems while
you are in such a state.

One of the ways to aid calmness of the nerves is the spirit of joy and
cheerfulness. Cheerfulness produces in the body a state of
relaxation which soothes the nerves. All those who are
characterised by a cheerful spirit have tranquil nerves and do not
get agitated easily. They may meet provocation with a sense of
humour that makes those who are trying to provoke them laugh too,
so that the matter subsides. Those who are narrow minded and
straitlaced, who imagine that laughter is a sin, you will often find that
their nerves are tense. The strict severity with which they meet
people's behaviour often makes the atmosphere lose its tranquillity
and the situation become aggravated. I hope to return to this point,
God willing, when we speak about the factors which contribute to
calmness. But let us continue on straightaway to talk about the
harm which results from nerves that lack tranquillity.
The person whose nerves are easily agitated harms himself as a
result, and also harms others. He harms himself with mental
illnesses, heart disease and high blood pressure and also various
psychological illnesses which result from his over reacting and
angry outbursts. He may be forced to take tranquillisers, and
sleeping pills to try to calm his nerves for a while, then the stress
returns once again through psychological motives from within and
external provocation from without, and he again resorts to
tranquillisers! His nerves become like elastic, which through
constant stretching and slackening loses its elasticity and is ruined.

Such a person enters the whirlpool of problems caused by nervous

illnesses. Although medicine tries to treat the symptoms, the more
important thing is to treat the reasons behind the nervous problems,
and at the outset try to convince the person of the need to be calm.
Calm souls do not suffer from nervous illnesses and have no need
for tranquillisers because they are peaceful by nature.

The person who can control and calm his nerves can also control
his words and not make mistakes. Likewise he can control his
behaviour and be in command of himself, thus winning rather than
losing in situations in which he is involved. All these things require a
healthy spiritual attitude and an inner conviction in the individual that
he can preserve his character, his rights, and his dignity by being
calm. He must realise that nervous outbursts are a clear mistake.
This is an obvious weakness before other people which loudly
proclaims that the individual concerned is unable to solve his
problems using reason and logic in a calm way and thus resorts to
nervous outbursts. The person whose nerves flare up is giving an
indication that evil has got the better of him and he has been unable
to resist it, which is why he flared up; while the Apostle says: "Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans
12:21).
Someone who has irritable nerves is a person who has no
resistance and who has collapsed inside, while someone who has
calm nerves is a resilient and fully composed person.

Stillness of The Tongue

Someone with a peaceful manner of speaking is loved by all, but a

restless tongue makes its owner make many errors. There are
various outward signs of a restless tongue which we may mention:

1. The talkative tongue, which never stops talking, while the

Bible says: "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,"
(Proverbs 10:19). It is a tongue which talks continuously on
any subject, even on things that are beyond its scope and
knowledge. It cannot keep quiet. It cannot control itself to
within its lips and teeth. It has to go out and talk, and just
cannot stop at all, even on the finer points of science and
politics! The main thing is that it talks and that is enough,
even about other people's affairs, their secrets and personal
matters. It is a restless tongue. And due to its restlessness,
its owner cannot control it or subdue it. The Apostle James
says: "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does
not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's
religion is useless." (James 1:26). Therefore every person
needs to curb his tongue and not leave it free to wander
restlessly from one subject to another, without restraint. If he
is unable to do this, then let him pray and say: "Set a guard,
O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my
lips." (Psalm 141:3).
2. From a restless tongue comes a sharp, raised, loud
voice. The Bible gives us an example of calm speech in the
conversation between God and the Prophet Elijah: "and a
great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the
rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in
the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, ... and after the
earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after
the fire a still small voice. .. Suddenly a voice came to him,
and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings
19:11:13), and this was God's voice speaking to him.

The calm person speaks in a quiet voice like a passing

breeze, but the restless person speaks with a voice like a
gusty wind. There are preachers who, even in a sermon,
preach with a high, sharp voice and reprove the
congregation harshly. What was said about the public
speakers of old applies to them, that they 'shook the
columns of the pulpits' and had their listeners sitting on the
edge of their seats. Such methods of preaching tends to
upset the people instead of having spiritual effects. The
spiritual preacher convinces the congregation through calm
spiritual teaching and through the action of the Spirit in him
and in them, kindling them with God's love through the
effectiveness of the Spirit, and not the agitation of the bodily
senses. Many people are affected during the sermon by a
preacher who himself is over-excited. But after a while they
lose this effect. On the other hand, calm spiritual persuasion
has a more permanent and has a greater effect within the
soul. Although a loud voice has to be used sometimes in the
middle of a crowd of people so that they can hear, there is
no need at all to use it in private conversations! The calm
person does not raise his voice when he is talking with
others. He does not use a voice that is louder than his
listener requires. Thus in his discussions there is no
noisiness. Is it not sometimes the case that when some
people are holding a discussion, they raise their voices and
 interrupt, so that those who hear think that they are
quarrelling?! Yes, to be sure, there are some people who
shout when they talk and shriek when they whisper. They
talk rapidly and their voices are noisy.

3. Among the outward signs of a voice that lacks calmness

there is also the tendency to use hurtful, harsh words.
There may be a person, for example, whose speech is harsh
and difficult, whose words are bitter, hurtful, critical, biting,
and destructive. Whose words are expelled from his mouth
as if they were a shell from a rocket. He could express the
same opinion and intention with calm words.
4. One of the aspects of calmness of the tongue is
calmness in conversation. The calm person discusses
quietly and in this way wins others over. Just as Saint
Didimus the Blind used to do when he debated with
philosophers and heathens with the utmost politeness,
without attacking them. His method was to win them, not
crush or embarrass them.

The restless speaker turns the conversation into a fight or a

quarrel in which the discussion gets heated and the
atmosphere tense and extremely electric.

You find a readiness to pounce and attack in his manner,

and a strong tendency to reply before he has heard the
opinion in full. He converses with you not to understand you
or to arrive at the truth with you, but in order to dumbfound
you by his own arguments and to defeat you and shatter
your opinions and expose your weakness. During the
conversation he feels that he has to ridicule you and your
views and make you a laughing stock, as if you are an
enemy and he wants to get his revenge. On the other hand,
 the person who discusses calmly, wins you over as a friend
during the conversation. He talks objectively, with complete
calmness, not interrupting during your speaking or being too
personal, and if you become too excited he calms you down.

He may persuade you so that you come to agree on his

opinion without you feeling that you have gone away
defeated. His calmness does not in any way make you feel
that you are adversaries, but rather that you are two friends
trying to arrive at the truth together. In contrast to this is the
highly-strung speaker whose eyes redden during the
discussion, whose voice is raised and who gets exasperated
raising objections irritably and rudely. He may even use
words which imply an insult. People who are not calm are
always interrupting each other when they are discussing.
There may be five in the discussion, four talking at once with
just one listening to the noise. None of them are prepared to
listen any of the others. They all interrupt each other,
whereas if there were a hundred calm people having a
discussion it would be done in strict order, you would not
hear an outside voice.

Though many ideas wrestle with each other, there is only

one truth. Yet each person thinks that the truth is his
personal view. If there is calmness you can come together
with people, however different their views, in a conversation
that is filled with love.

5. What we have been saying about discussion we can

also say about reproof. The quiet reproach leads to peace,
while the loud one only exacerbates the division and
contention. We have a beautiful example of the Lord Jesus
rebuking Peter after the Resurrection. He did not say to him,
"Come here, you traitor, you who were afraid of a servant
 girl, you who swore and cursed and said, 'I don't know the
man'. Is this what you promised me before when you said,
“If everyone denies you, I will not deny you'?"

The Lord Jesus did not say a single hurtful word to him, he
just asked him quietly, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love
Me more than these?" He said to Him , "Yes, Lord; You
know that I love You." He said to him, 'Feed My sheep.' He
said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do
you love Me more than these?' ... 'Feed My lambs.' ... 'Tend
My sheep.'" (John 21:15-17). And he repeated the question
three times, until Peter understood. The rebuke had its effect
and love was established, without Peter's heart being
wounded.

6. It is not only desirable that the tongue should be calm,

but even more so that it should be calming. As an
example of calming speech we have the words of the Bible:
"A soft answer turns away wrath" . (Proverbs 15: 1) Another
example is the comforting father confessor, who soothes the
soul of the one confessing and gives him peace of the heart,
releasing him from his heart's unrest that has occurred on
account of his sins. In contrast to that is the father confessor
who sends the penitent away feeling that he has lost his
peace, overcome by despair and feeling that he must
inevitably be doomed.

The calm person's serenity overflows onto others, and

soothes them if they are distressed. But the restless person
infects them with his turmoil and unsettles them if they are
calm.

Inner Tranquillity
It is not enough that the person be calm just on the outside, in his
speech and nerves, but he must also be calm on the inside. His
spirit must be tranquil. Serenity on the outside springs from
calmness of the soul on the inside. As for the soul which is boiling
from within, wherever it settles comes tension and a rise in temper.
It lives like a flame which burns and spreads its fire here and there
wherever it is thrown. It reaches the point that when some people
see this type of person entering a place they whisper to each other,
"Oh Lord help us".

But with the person who is calm from within, we can see his inner
calm overflowing as tranquillity on the outside. You find his voice
calm, his walking graceful, his behaviour and his discussions calm
and restful. Due to his calmness he does not shout or quarrel, rather
his relations are good with all people, as he does not resort to
arguing or rudeness with anyone. And that is just on the outside.

As far as the inside is concerned, he enjoys calm thoughts and a

peaceful heart. You find that the many thoughts of the person who
is restless inside are surging and confused, coming and going, not
settled at all. One idea pulls him one way, another pulls him the
other way. His mind is always changing and his thoughts affect him
because he is unstable.

The restless person also suffers from a lack of calmness in his

feelings. His emotions and feelings are restless, his desires and
hopes inconstant. Imagination sometimes pulls him to heights which
he can never reach, but practical thoughts bring him down to his
reality which is remote from his hopes. He remains confused
between desire and reality, and his emotions disturb him. He may
be prone to a number of psychological disorders. There are various
examples of this which we can mention such as the person who
loses his peace of mind by living in anxiety. Anxiety points to a lack
of peace in the soul. Anxiety gives rise to fear and the anxious
person's thoughts are not calm, or stable.

Anxiety may invite doubt and doubt does not make the soul tranquil.
A person who doubts can never be calm at all from within. He
continuously asks himself whether he is right in his misgivings, or
whether it is possible that his suspicions are untrue and wonders
how he can prove the truth in these doubts and confirm them. His
thoughts continue to lack calm and may exhaust him and torture
him psychologically. This exhaustion increases his lack of
tranquillity, and this doubt can also exhaust the person in his
relationships with others.

There are various types of doubt, all of which cause loss of peace,
whether it is doubt about facts or individuals, doubt about
relationships, doubt about faith or even God Himself. Sometimes
the person's doubt is over his future and what he anticipates in it.
But in every case the mind is troubled and the soul disturbed.

Whatever the situation, a peaceful heart brings peaceful thoughts. If

someone's heart is relaxed and tranquil, his thoughts will be relaxed
and tranquil too, and if his heart becomes troubled so do his
thoughts. The condition of the thoughts depends on the heart. If
there are storms and volcanoes in the heart, you find that the
thoughts are jostled about as if they were goods in a market being
bought and sold. If, however, the heart is tranquil, the thoughts will
be peaceful too.

There are individuals whose dispositions are so weak that they

become upset for the most trivial of reasons, perhaps just because
of an illusion, and for no real reason. In such confusion their heart
loses its calmness, their thoughts lose their tranquillity, their inner
peace is lost and their behaviour appears restless.

One of the signs of restlessness of thought is a state of wandering,

changeable thoughts. Calm thought is focused on the subject of its
consideration, it has a depth of reflection. But thought that is not
peaceful goes round and round from one subject to another, and
strays to numerous issues, for example someone whose thoughts
wander during prayer. As one of the Fathers put it, "If the food of the
fire is fuel, the food of the mind are its little stories."

Inconstant restless thought is always eager for stories and moves

from one report to another, from one tale to another, from one
person to another and even from one city to another without calming
down, even during prayer. It reminds us of Satan whose work is:
"going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on
it." (Job 1:7). Another sign of a lack of calmness of thought is a
critical attitude. A person with this type of thought is displeased with
everything and everybody and is continually rebelling against
circumstances in which he considers that the truth has been lost.
Thus he criticises all that comes before him. Even if it has nothing to
do with him and even if he has not studied the subject or
understood it, he still gets annoyed at everything, grumbles at
everything and criticises everything, thus losing his tranquillity.

When thought has lost its calmness it acts to spread a lack of

calmness in the minds of others. It spreads its restless, anxious
thoughts by pouring them into other people's ears, getting all
worked up over them and striving to persuade people by them. A
person with such thoughts may be successful or he may not.

Even if he is not successful in spreading his restless views, he

disturbs any calmness because of his unsettling discussions.
Another type of restless thought is persistent thoughts, in which an
idea forces itself on the person's mind, putting pressure on him in a
troubling way. The individual tries to escape from it but cannot, and
through this pressure his calmness is lost. This is especially so if
those thoughts are with him whether he is awake or asleep, and
urge themselves upon him even during his work, prayer, and during
his rest, without letting go, and without relaxation.

Persistent thoughts are often a war from Satan, because spiritual

thoughts are always tranquil. As for Satan, though, he imposes his
ideas unmercifully, and drives the person to act hastily. With his
insistence he bears down heavily on your nerves and exhausts
them so that you believe that the easiest way to find rest from his
urging is to act upon them straightaway. Persistent thoughts are
thoughts that cause trouble, they do not want to give the person a
chance to seek advice, a chance to pray or a chance to examine the
ideas and discuss them! It is just as though they want to strongly
force the person!

Among the different types of restless thought are changeable kinds

of thoughts, adopting one thought and then its opposite, sometimes
agreeing with the issue, sometimes opposing it, sometimes being
over enthusiastic about the subject and at other times losing
interest, like waves of the sea coming and going without rest. This is
undetermined, indecisive thought that causes its owner lack of
peace and balance. Tranquil thought, on the other hand, is like the
ship which travels its course calmly in one direction without
confusion, without diversion to the left or right.

Restless thoughts make the heart lose its calmness. Likewise a

restless heart upsets the thoughts. Sometimes the heart is restless
with the emotions, feelings and sensations inside it such as
sadness, passion, lust, tiredness, anger, resentment and envy, the
desire for revenge and the desire to possess or dominate. Someone
whose heart contains such feelings as these cannot be peaceful,
nor can his thoughts. But what makes the heart lose its calmness
most of all are desires which demand to be fulfilled quickly while in
realistic terms there is not the opportunity available for such swift
action, and therefore the heart loses its calmness.
The tranquil heart regards everything calmly, it does not get upset at
anything. The restless heart , however, sees everything as a cause
of trouble which is why it becomes disturbed and provokes
confusion wherever it settles!!

The tranquil heart is not upset by external problems. It accepts them

calmly, deals with them with reason, analyses them, examines them
and solves them quietly. It does not allow outer confusion to enter
inside the soul to disturb its serenity! Someone who has a tranquil
heart does not let the problem overcome him, but rather he
overcomes it. He says to himself: "I do not want this problem to
bother me, or to make me angry, anxious or sad, or to make me
lose my peace of mind. I want this problem to remain outside and
not enter inside my soul".

The tranquil heart is a deep sea. Troubles may float on its surface
and not disturb its calmness, and if they descend to its depths, they
dissolve and disappear. If the person is upset inside and loses his
calmness, he is incapable of solving his problems, they bother him
and he shows a lack of calmness in his behaviour and in his
dealings with people and situations.

The tranquil heart is suitable for spiritual activity. But if someone's

heart loses its peace, he is unable to reflect. If he tries to pray his
thoughts are distracted. If he reads a book his mind wanders during
reading. For this reason our Fathers used to search for peace and
quiet, since only in a calm atmosphere and a quiet place can they
practise their spiritual life.

The tranquil heart spreads its tranquillity over the whole person:
calmness of the heart results in calmness of the thoughts, calmness
of the nerves, and calmness of the features. We have previously
spoken of calmness of the nerves and thoughts and now turn our
attention to calmness of the features.
Serenity of the Features

Few people can control their facial features. Most often the features
reveal the state of the heart, whether the person likes it or not. If his
heart is troubled, his confusion shows in his features. If he is angry,
annoyed, disgusted or afraid, all these states appear on the features
of his face or in the look of his eyes, even if he is distracted
daydreaming, his features reveal it.

A person's features are an involuntary admission of what is inside

him! He may deny that he is troubled, but his features show that he
is not telling the truth with his denial. Sometimes the person loses
his composure, and if people ask him for a reason he denies it. But
the tone of his voice, the movements of his hands, the look in his
eyes, perhaps the movements of his lips and the colour of his face
all speak of what is inside him, in a way that leaves no doubt.

Do not imagine that the heart is a locked treasure house which

conceals its secrets! It is often revealed and openly expressed by
way of the features. A person's eye is in most cases a mirror in
which his inner feelings can be seen and in which his thoughts can
probably be read also. Any observant person can see it, which is
why some people wear dark glasses so that those with whom they
are sitting cannot see the impressions or feelings in their eyes.

The person with a tranquil heart has relaxed, serene features. You
like to sit with him and regard his face, contemplating the wonderful
calmness which overflows from his heart and covers his features.
Thus it is hardly surprising that one of the monks said to Saint Anba
Antonious: "It's enough for me simply to look at your face, Father",
for in the saint's face he could see the inner peace which filled his
heart and saw all the purity and godliness there.

But the person with a restless heart has tense features. There are
people whose features are unrelaxed when they are in a state of
anger or emotion, and also when they are in a state of sadness or
depression, since they are lacking their inner peace and calmness.
All this appears in their facial features. Their condition might reach
the point that their features become too distressing for you to look at
them for long. Because their expression is tense, they do not
contribute to the calmness of those who look at them.

It is therefore necessary to have control over the features and calm

them down. It is best for the person to calm his heart and then his
features will automatically become calm.

Stillness of The Body And The Senses

There are people whose bodies are restless, who cannot settle in
one place. They want to come and go, to get up and sit down, to go
out and come in. Even at home they do not settle for very long, they
have to do visits and outings and recreation for the body and
moving from place to place. These people have changeable,
restless bodies. This is the opposite of the monks who discipline
themselves to stillness of the body. The hermit monk can stay in his
cell for days or weeks, without leaving it or moving unless it is
essential, and if he moves, it is for something worthwhile.

There is a great difference between these people who have bodily

stillness and those who move without a reason. Even if a restless
person sits alone in a place, you find his body moving continuously.
If he speaks with anyone you find his hands moving and his feet
and his head too. He may point with his hand or raise his finger as
he talks, or continually wave his hands about. If there are two
people having a discussion you might look at their hands and find
them moving all the time. This is quite the opposite to being in the
army, where the soldier has to keep still when he talks, and if he
moves his hand they say to him, "Keep still!".
Sometimes a little movement is necessary to express an inner
feeling, but it should not be continuous, restless movement. Many
people's movements suggest a lack of calmness! If such a person
comes in or goes out, he causes a noise and racket simply opening
and closing the door. If he walks, he walks noisily. If he drinks, you
can hear a noise while he sips. Even if he wants to dissolve some
sugar in a cup of tea, you would think he was ringing a bell. There is
no stillness in his movements at all, whereas the calm person stays
quietly in his place and he doesn't make a sound.

In a calm country you find that even the protest demonstrations

themselves are calm! Demonstrations, according to our dictionary,
however, mean noise and uproar, here and there: a great throng of
demonstrators shouting and chanting slogans, waving their arms
and upsetting everything and everybody as if it is a kind of
revolution. But in a calm country the demonstrators go out and
express their views with banners bearing their demands and their
ideas and they move from one street to another carrying their ideas
quietly. Calmness of the senses accompanies calmness of the
body. Calmness of the senses helps their owner to think calmly. The
alternating senses of seeing, hearing and smell produce thoughts
and thoughts have an effect on feelings of the heart.

Thus a person might be sitting in a meeting but his eyes are darting
here and there looking to see what this one or that one is doing.

It is so easy for a person to be influenced by what he sees and

hears. In fact even sitting at the table his eyes might be going
around to see what everyone else is eating, and how he eats, and a
whole chain of thoughts follow from this. This is why the desert
Fathers said: "If you enter a brother's cell, don't look at what is
inside it. And if you sit at a table let your eyes look only at what is in
front of you".
Inquisitiveness of the senses concerning the secrets of others is
called adultery of the senses. If the ear tries to hear what it has no
right to hear, the Desert Fathers would call it adultery of the ears,
and the same goes for spying, which would suggest that the ear is
not calm. Also the eye which tries to see that which it has no right to
see, is a restless sense and its business has become like that of
Satan: "going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and
forth on it." (Job 2:2). Changeable, restless senses are at the root of
nervous agitation. This is especially true of the ear which goes
around in search of exciting news and the eye which looks for an
interesting sight and the mouth which is often asking, "What's the
news?". By doing so the senses bring to the individual's heart, ears,
and thoughts something that wears him out and makes him lose his
peace of mind.

The strange thing is that the senses may not calm down even
during prayer! The eye goes round looking here and there and
breaks its connection with God, also the ear may be sensitive to
what it can hear during prayer, which distracts the thoughts. This is
all because the senses are restless and come from a body that is
restless and thoughts that are restless also. However, the senses
may not be the body's only problem. The body's restlessness may
come because of its lusts.

The unrest of the body may come because of a physical desire for
food or the lust of the flesh, so that it loses its calmness and roams
from place to place searching for satisfaction of its desires. In their
writings the Fathers call these kinds of lusts, pains or aches of the
flesh; for the body suffers and is restless because of sin. The body's
restlessness may also be due to health reasons.

Calm Behaviour And Problem Solving

The calm person solves his problems calmly. In the most difficult
situations he does not lose his calmness, rather he behaves
rationally and in a well-balanced way. His behaviour is thus mentally
healthy and acceptable and does not cause violent reactions.

Even when he protests or raises objections he does so calmly, in an

objective and convincing way, governed by logic not nervous
tension. In this way he is successful in gaining an advantage in the
situation and not clashing with his opponents. On the other hand,
another person, if he protests, does so noisily, making a fuss with a
loud voice, accusing the other side with harsh accusations, and
dealing with people and their wishes and intentions very rudely!
Look how easy it is for him to make a mistake in all this and
disadvantage his position!

The peaceful person, even if he resigns from his job, does so

calmly. When he finds himself unable to cooperate with his
colleagues, he withdraws quietly without causing them any trouble
and without disturbing the atmosphere around them. But if the
restless person resigns he wants to disrupt the whole world because
of his resignation. And if it does not cause an outcry, he gets angry
and says: "How can I resign and everything remains the same?
Why hasn't so-and-so or so-and-so become angry in support of me?
And why haven't the others acted like me?!"

Through his conduct, the calm person is an example to others. They

learn peacefulness and good behaviour from him, and gain
experience in how to deal with problems and annoying people. They
remember the words of the Apostle: "Who is wise and
understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his
works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter
envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against
the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly,
sensual, demonic. For where envy and self- seeking exist, confusion
and every evil thing are there. " (James 3:13-16).
Saint Paul says in dealing with the mistakes of others, "Brethren, if a
man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such
a one in a spirit of gentleness". (Galatians 6:1).

CHAPTER 3: Causes of Restlessness

Causes from Within:

The Fiery Temperament - The Depressive

The Way of Thinking

Exhausted Nerves

Psychological Disorders

External Causes:

Causes Connected with the Body

Causes Connected with the Mind

Causes Connected with the Soul

There are many reasons for a person to lose his calmness: some
come from within the soul and others are external.

Causes From Within

These include the person's temperament, whether he is of a fiery or

subdued nature, or particularly sensitive. It might also be his way of
thinking, which might work against him, or his nerves, which might
be exhausted. In addition to this, there are other causes such as
psychological disorders and struggles like fear, confusion,
depression, lust and anger. Yet another reason for restlessness is a
liking of causing noisy disturbances.

Temperament

A person's temperament has its first effect on his calmness or lack

of calmness. There are people who have a peaceful nature and
others who are excitable, and others in between the two. The calm
nature does not get overexcited. If it finds something over-excited it
calms it down. But the excitable nature gets worked up for no
reason! This excitable temperament they call a 'fiery' nature. It does
not like peacefulness at all, and cannot live with it. If it finds a calm
atmosphere it soon sets it ablaze, stirs it up and provokes it. You will
never find someone who has this temperament calm. His
restlessness does not have an external cause, it arises from his
natural disposition. He is always irritable, highly strung, tense and
excitable.

One's nature may be continually pessimistic. This person may look

dejectedly at everything and expect the worst on every occasion. He
is suspicious of the intentions of all those around him, he has
misgivings about what they are up to and is afraid of what they are
doing. He may end up in a state that they call a 'persecution
complex', and thus he loses his calmness because of his pessimism
and negative expectations.

A person with such a nature imagines that his pessimism has

various causes. He loses his peace of mind if the date is the 13th or
any multiple of it, whether it is the Arabic or Christian calendar, and
he keeps on saying, "Oh God, help me". This also happens when he
has to repeat this number, for an address, or identity card, or seat
number or bus or telephone number, or when his age reaches any
multiple of it. He also becomes restless if he hears the hoot of an
owl or if he meets someone whom he thinks it is bad fortune to
meet!! Or if he meets a person whose name is connected with some
incident which caused him distress. Likewise, he loses his calmness
if he anticipates bad luck from reading what it says in the 'Your
Stars' column in the newspapers or magazines.

You try to calm him down but your effort goes in vain! These things
which are deeply rooted in his nature cause him continuous anxiety
and disturb his peace of mind. They cannot be outweighed by any
thought or persuasion.

A person may lose his calmness because of being too sensitive.

The person who is, for example, very sensitive about his dignity or
his rights might see the slightest word or action from others as an
infringement of his rights or a slight to his dignity.

You see him getting disturbed from within. His nerves are affected
and he may get angry. As a result of all this he loses his inner
peace and may behave towards people in a disruptive way.

Way of Thinking

There is a type of person who thinks in a calm way, while another

thinks in a confused or angry way, which will never lead him to a
solution, but only causes him to lose his inner peace. Here the
question of thinking positively or thinking negatively comes into it.
The one who thinks positively about everything that happens and all
that he hears about thinks calmly within, and makes everything pass
peacefully. But the one whose thoughts concentrate on the negative
aspects of things, loses his calmness, his thoughts grow restless
and he shifts restlessly from one idea to another.

Besides negative thinking, a person's thoughts may be troubled by

doubts or because the conclusions which he has arrived at are
wearing him out. What a lot of wrong conclusions can spring from
an anxious disposition; and there may not be a shadow of truth in
any of them. You might even say in surprise to someone who is like
that, "Why do you think in this way?!

Why do you interpret words in this way?"

It is because of a person's state that his thoughts work against him.

It is his way of thinking which wears him out. He needs another
person to correct his train of thought for him so that he can think in a
calm way that soothes him.

One of the troublesome ways of thinking is that of exaggerating

problems, by attaching too much significance to the troubles that
come along, supposing them to have unfavourable and dangerous
results and by having a fertile imagination for surmising possible
dangers. A person who exaggerates thus lives in fear and loses his
calmness.

Exhausted Nerves

Tranquil nerves make the person think calmly and peacefully. But
nervous exhaustion leads to loss of tranquillity, intolerance and a
susceptibility to anger and nervousness. This exhaustion may arise
from physical tiredness or from illness or psychological reasons, or
from too much thinking or reading over a long period without rest. It
is therefore best not to enter into heated discussions when in these
types of situations and to not think of solving problems with
exhausted nerves. Those in positions of leadership, for example,
ought not to decide the fates of others when in this condition.

If you find someone exhausted do not argue with him, because he

may not be able to bear the discussion and may get angry, and also
do not insist on him responding to a specific request, because he
may not be able to bear to be pressed, and may thus refuse simply
because he does not have the strength to think of an answer. He
may then use harsh words in a desire to end the conversation.

If a husband returns tired from work, for example, it is not in the

wife's interest to present him with subjects which require thought,
while he is in need of rest. If she confronts him at that time he may
react angrily towards her. If he does, she might wrongly think that
he is in a bad mood. It would be better for her to realise that she
had simply chosen an unsuitable time to talk to him.

Among the other causes of a person losing his calmness are

psychological troubles and disorders. Of these we might mention
the following:

Fear and Confusion

If a person is afraid, he loses his calmness and if he loses his

calmness he becomes afraid. In a state of fear a person imagines
problems and dangers, whether they exist or not, and thus becomes
disturbed. The more he thinks about these dangers, the greater his
fear and confusion become and he imagines the worst, yet all his
fears may be his own doing. The calm person does not become
disturbed however much the circumstances around him get
troubled. He is just like the house built on rock of which the Lord
said: "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew
and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the
rock." (Matthew 7:25).

Peter the Apostle was thrown into prison, while Herod was
determined to kill him. Nevertheless he slept so soundly even in
such circumstances, that the angel who came to save him had to
prod him in the side to wake him (Acts 12:3-7).
On the other hand, the person who is afraid and disturbed, loses his
peace of mind. In his fear and troubled state he is incapable of
healthy, calm thinking. Things before him become complicated and
seem to be irresolvable. and he loses his calmness completely. To
regain this calmness he needs outside help and a solution to be
found for him. If he discovers a solution, his fear will decrease and
subside.

Prayer and seeking advice will benefit him in this state. Through
prayer he will feel the divine power solving his problems for him, so
he does not fear. Through asking advice he will find a wise and
loving heart beside him, presenting him with a solution and dealing
with him in faith; so he does not fear but grows calm.

Perhaps some may want to ask about those who fear death. In
actual fact, someone who fears death is more likely to be afraid of
his fate after death, and where he will go. But the believer who
trusts in God's love, and who always repents over big things and
small, is not afraid of death but rather says with the Apostle Paul:
"having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better."
(Philippians 1:23). Thus we find that the martyrs looked forward to
death joyfully without being troubled, and were very peaceful at the
hour of their death.

This does not mean that there was something wrong when some of
the saints spoke of death with a certain fear, but if they did so it was
out of a kind of humility, so that their hearts should not be raised too
high because of their godliness and worthiness to wear a crown.

Desires or Lusts

Saint Augustine was right when he said: "I sat on the summit of the
world when I felt within that I did not desire anything or fear
anything."
Someone who runs after his desires is exhausted and enslaved by
them. They cause confusion within him, and he keeps on thinking of
how he can achieve what his heart desires. How can he attain
them? And what are the difficulties which stand in his way? Who are
his rivals and how can he triumph over them?

Or perhaps what tricks can he use to achieve his desires? This is

how lust disturbs him from within and makes him lose his calmness
in his thinking, his efforts and his feelings. Also the scope of desires
is never-ending. As soon as one has been fulfilled, others appear
and so on !!

We see tranquillity in the hearts and thoughts of ascetics, monks

and hermits because they have rid themselves of the pressure of
desires and become free within their souls.

Anger and Nervousness

Nervousness in relation to restlessness is both a cause and an

effect. The person who loses his nerves loses his calmness too. As
once a person has lost his calmness it is really very easy for him to
be angry and speak with obvious irritability.

The calm person, however, does not become influenced so quickly

or get worked up or exasperated. He deals with people and
problems calmly, with a cheerful face. His inner peace appears also
in his outward behaviour.

A Liking for Causing A Noisy Disturbance

There are some individuals who can only live in a state of clamour
and cannot bear quietness at all. If they go somewhere their
commotion precedes them, and they announce their presence with
their loud voices and noisy company. If they sit in a quiet place they
soon grow bored and leave it, and if they are with people who are
silent, one of them shouts, saying to them, "Why are you sitting so
quietly?! Is this a sad occasion?!"

They constantly look for problems and excitement. If they become

members of any club or association, they have to make their
presence felt; something has to happen, a difficulty has to be raised
and the atmosphere charged, they then feel that it has some
interest for them. If they sit in a meeting they have to raise their
voices and search for a subject to object to. They expand any
difficulty and provoke crises for the most trivial reasons. If they are
put in a position of authority they wear out their subordinates with so
many orders and prohibitions, too many checks, and by keeping
them occupied with unimportant affairs. The whole world has to be
disrupted if they have to investigate something and if they find a
mistake they explode in furry.

The existence of a calm atmosphere obviously depends on one's

love of peacefulness. Those who do not love peace show it on
every occasion: their wedding celebrations are noisy affairs and can
be heard from afar, with their loud voices, singing and whistling and
perhaps even accompanied by the bangs of fireworks going off.
Even their funerals are noisy affairs. The whole town or district has
to be turned upside down if one of them dies!! They imagine that
they are not honouring the dead if they do not spend long nights in
weeping and wailing in loud voices for them. All this is simply in the
desire that others should share their affliction.

Sharing sorrowful emotions is necessary, but to overdo it is to

destroy any chance of real calmness. There are ways of expressing
one's mutual support which do not involve a lot of noise and which
are characterised by peacefulness. Sometimes silent grief and quiet
tears are a deeper expression of sentiment than loud wailing.
We have talked of the importance of inner reasons for losing one's
calmness, and will now go on to speak about those reasons which
come from outside.

External Causes

There are external factors which may make the person lose his
peace of mind and calmness, his smile and cheerfulness, his joy
and happiness. The spiritual person, however, can triumph over
external reasons, as we will explain later. Perhaps the most
important external reasons are to do with the body, the senses, and
with the mind and the spirit.

a. Against The Senses

There are several reasons for the body to lose its calmness
because the senses have become exhausted, by this we mean
reasons that are particularly connected with our homes, such as the
sounds, lights, colours, traffic, telephones etc. Environs:

1. Overcrowding in the city, any city, bombards the senses with

noise and bustle, especially in the shopping streets of the city,
where the people are crowded together unnaturally. This is also true
of the places where there are many factories, workshops,
universities, schools and hospitals (or what they call the 'service
sector' in the city).

2. Following on from this there is the vast number of traffic routes

and all the noise and racket which they cause. This is especially so
in the periods of peak hours and ending in various offices. They call
this the 'rush hour', when thousands of employees, students and
business people leave work, either by their private cars or in search
of buses, trams or taxis. At this time the bustle of the city appears at
its greatest and it is this which exhausts those who love peace and
makes them lose the tranquillity of their senses.

The traffic may be brought to a halt because of the great crush of

people, especially in large overcrowded cities, with all that this
entails in the way of problems, upsets, the closing of some people's
departments and wasted time.

3. Because of all this some people prefer to live in the suburbs. The
population of the city of London exceeds 12 million, and so some of
its inhabitants prefer to live outside the city in the areas known as
'suburbia' (this applies to Cairo too). If people are unable to live in
the suburbs, then they might at least spend the weekends there for
a period of rest and recuperation far away from the noise of the city.

4. In search for peace, some cities have made laws which prohibit
the building of homes over the whole area. In some cities they only
allow a land owner to build on a third or a quarter of the area of his
land, and leave the rest, for example, as a garden. Thus the houses
can be spaced out and there can be some greenery which helps
calm the nerves and the spirit and which provides areas where there
is less crowding and noise. Some cities restrict the height of
dwellings to perhaps just 12 metres (3 or 4 stories). The quieter
areas of the city are examples of these residential districts.

In view of the increase in the price of land at the present time, the
vast number of inhabitants and the housing crisis, these kinds of
comfortable, quiet homes are hard to come by, except for those who
are financially able to afford it and who also love peace and quiet.

In order to remedy this shortage, some cities are trying to allocate

special areas within the city to be public parks as places of
refreshment for the people. These parks, however, in spite of their
healthy and scenic aspects, are often noisy places because people
tend to see them as places for recreation rather then relaxation.
5. Due to this, peace lovers resort to the Monasteries where the
desert is quiet. Even though the Monasteries in the desert are
essentially tranquil places, they lose their peacefulness because of
the large number of people visiting them. It is therefore necessary to
lay down firm regulations for preserving the peace of the
Monasteries. There is a great difference between a large party of 50
people going to a monastery just for an outing, to visit and receive a
blessing, causing a good deal of noise because they are unfamiliar
with the calmness there, and a few individuals going to a monastery
to spend a period of peace and worship, and who stay in retreat
houses.

In order to preserve their calm atmosphere, the monasteries try to

group the visitors' areas far away from the monks' cells, and from
the retreat houses, which helps the visitors to become accustomed
to the quietness.

6. On the other hand, the monks who desire even greater quietness
go to live in isolated cells and desert caves. It is in these places, far
away from the bustle of the guests and even from the other monks'
living quarters, that they are able to attain a degree of solitude and
peace which does not exist in the community of monks.

Machinery:

Something else which disturbs the peace is machinery, which even

if it facilitates the world's production and help to spread civilisation
have nevertheless made the world lose much of its tranquillity. The
quietness of sounds has been lost and this has happened so quickly
that the calmness of the nerves has been lost.

Machines in our mechanical age work quickly and accurately and

require their operators to be just as quick and precise. Because of
this, their nerves are always keyed up in case they make a mistake
or the machine does something dangerous, which would affect their
production, their livelihood, their pay bonuses and reports.

Often machines are to blame for the problems of unemployment.

One machine may be able to do more work than 20 or 30 or even
50 workers.

The appearance of machines at the beginning of the Renaissance,

five centuries ago, was known in history as the "Industrial
Revolution". But how much greater is the development of
technology in our present age!

Unemployment undoubtedly affects the peacefulness of the world,

since there exists a class made up of a vast number of workers who
are anxious about their fate and livelihood. Mahatma Gandhi used
to hate the use of machines and called his people to work with their
hands.

There is a big difference between the age in which the peasant

used to water his field from a water wheel, calmly and happily
following the water as it ran peacefully through the field, and the age
in which the water descends in a fast, forceful jet which he runs
panting behind in order to transfer it from one trough to another,
before it overflows and is drowned by the water. We do not want at
this point to discuss the subject of technology from the economic
point of view; this is not the aim of the book in your hands. Its aim is
simply to show the effects that machines can have upon calmness,
from the aspect of their noise and effect upon the senses, and from
the aspect of the unemployment which they can cause and the
effect which this can have upon disturbing spiritual peace.

In addition to this, machines which pollute the environment with

smoke and fumes, and the adverse effect that this can have upon
health can also make the individual lose his tranquillity.
Sounds, Lights and Colours

Loud sounds disturb peace, whether they come from trains, cars,
alarm clocks, motorcycles, aeroplanes or loudspeakers at parties
and meetings, even the sounds of people passing in the streets and
the sounds of the sellers in the over populated suburbs.

The clamour of sound in the city makes people lose the calmness of
their senses, especially if these sounds are loud and invasive and
continually unchecked.

Even in people's ordinary conversations, there are some who talk

quietly so that you can hardly hear their voice, and others who
cause such a racket when they talk that the place loses its peace
and their listeners feel as if they are caught up in an argument or a
fight.

The calm approach to conversation means that the person speaks

at the level required by his listener, without raising his voice
unnecessarily. This is what calm people do. Peace lovers do not
feel relaxed when loud or sharp voices are used as this disturbs
their senses.

The recluse Saint Arsanious, when he heard the sound of reeds

moved by the wind, said: "What is this earthquake?" because his
ears had become acutely sensitive, , being accustomed to a calm
atmosphere.

Telephones then can sometimes be a reason for making some

people lose their calmness. If someone uses them too much or for
too long, telephones can make him lose his awareness of the value
of his time, or make him feel that he has lost his peace of mind or
that his actions are unproductive. Therefore those who wish to
spend time quietly should keep far away from telephones and avoid
using them, or use them sparingly, only for emergencies.

Colours also have a certain effect on the soul besides influencing

the one who looks at them. The green colour, for example, is a
peaceful colour, as is light blue, and comes in contrast to the
colours like red, which can be glaring unless it is simply part of a
pattern and just used to give it a particular beauty.

This explains why many people choose colours for the walls of their
homes that are restful to the eyes, and the same goes for the
colours of their furniture and clothes; and choose flowers of
soothing colours for their gardens.

Just as we mentioned colours, we can also mention lights. Strong

lights irritate and tire the eyes and nerves. Strong headlights on
cars, for example, strain the eyes of drivers coming in the opposite
direction. We might perhaps see some streets in the big cities fitted
with softer lights in a special colour which is kinder to the eyes, a
kind of yellowish colour. Also churches, when they are lit by
candles, have a calmer atmosphere which is more conducive to awe
and peace, than when they are lit by the glare of artificial lights. We
have spoken of the factors that work against calmness of the
senses, let us move on to another factor which disturbs peace:

b. Against The Calmness of The Spirit

1. There are many factors which disturb calmness of the spirit and
these include the mistakes of others. Their behaviour may be
hurtful, worrying or irritating to the individual and result in a loss of
tranquillity. Their mistakes may be actually harmful. Perhaps they
may cause fights or struggles or make 78

attempts to annoy the other. Thus the person can lose his
tranquillity, because of a quarrelsome neighbour, or an annoying
colleague at work, or even at church. This occurs because people's
mistakes have caused him harm or put him in a state of constant
strain or tension because he is anticipating problems as a result of
these mistakes.

The teacher may lose his calmness because of a pupil's behaviour.

A father or mother may lose their calmness because of their child's
errors. The behaviour of certain individuals among people might
harm the peace of the entire country.

2. A person may lose his calmness because he is living with people

who are not calm. If he lives with a person who is anxious, disturbed
or afraid, he may be affected by that person's mistakes. That
person's fear or disturbed state may also be passed on to him. On
the other hand, living with calm people brings calmness to the spirit.

There are many psychological aspects that a person absorbs from

others, good and bad. One of the famous men of letters wrote, "Tell
me who your friend is and I will tell you who you are."

Therefore it is not unusual for you to feel upset if you remain for a
long time in a place where there has been a disturbance because of
what you hear of other people's conversations. It is equally likely if
you live with a person who is very sceptical, that his misgivings will
flow into your heart and thoughts without your intending it.

3. Another element that causes loss of peace is the news and the
media. Look at how often the radio and television broadcasts,
newspapers, magazines and publishers present upsetting news that
disturbs people. It affects their thoughts and senses so that some of
them start to imagine that the world is going to end soon, or that
disasters are about to happen. These news reports may follow in
rapid succession, so that no sooner has the person recovered from
listening to one piece of news than another equally upsetting follows
it. Thus the individual lives in a state of constant tension. There are
journalists who think that to stir-up the people is the sign of
successful news broadcasting. They therefore choose dramatic
titles that arouse or news items that provoke, irrespective of the
effect they might have on the hearts of the people!

The same applies to the news people relate to each other in their
conversations: their tales of problems, adversities and pains, on a
general level, or on the individual and family level. There are some
who relate such things so dramatically that they convey their
emotion to the listener and he gets upset too. People live in a state
of constant tug-of-war, being pulled this way and that by a
succession of news reports. If someone wants to live quietly he
should try his utmost to get as far away as he can from upsetting
news, or to keep its influence over him under control.

4. Personal problems are the most serious thing that make

someone lose his peace of mind.

Young people's minds are disturbed by the slightest problem.

Adults, however may be upset by a problem which seems to be
irresolvable, if they then arrive at a solution their mind again
becomes calm.

The restless person wants all people around him to be thoroughly

upset if a problem ever occurs, and he may say, "I won't let this
matter go by just like that! I know what I'll do!!". It may well be that
his rude behaviour causes another problem worse than the original
one. A person may lose his calmness in the face of a personal
problem or one that affects people in general, such as bad transport
for example, or a boring routine or economic problems and rising
prices.

We can cite a third kind of factor which disturbs peace which is:
c. Against The Calmness of The Soul

Sin disturbs the person's spiritual calmness. As the Divine

Inspiration said: "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the
wicked." (Isaiah 48:22) and, " But the wicked are like the troubled
sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

"There is no peace," Says my God, "for the wicked." (Isaiah

57:20-21).

The sinner lives in an internal struggle which gives him no peace.

He loses his peace of mind before the sin, when planning it and
thinking it through, and after the sin he loses it because of fear: fear
that the sin may be discovered, fear of punishment and fear of
getting a bad reputation. Cain lost his peace after he killed his
brother Abel, and said:

"My punishment is greater than I can bear!...anyone who finds me

will kill me." (Genesis 4:13-14). The factors which disturb calmness
from within are mostly connected to sins or faults like lust, fear and
lack of faith . The spiritual person is always characterised by his
tranquillity. In the forefront of the fruits of the Spirit are "love, joy,
peace.." (Galatians 5:22) and with joy and peace there is calmness.
Something else which makes the sinner lose his calmness is fear of
judgement. Striving to live the best life of all gives the children of
God hope in a happy eternity and makes them "rejoicing in hope,"
(Romans 12:12) as they listen to the words of Saint John the
Apostle: "abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have
confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." (1 John
2:28) But sinners live in fear whenever they think of their eternity. As
Saint Paul the Apostle said , "It is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31)
The spiritual person has a good relationship with God, but the
sinner is always caught up in a fight or struggle with God, which
makes him lose his calmness. Talking about death, eternity or
judgement disturbs him a great deal; these are words which he
cannot bear to hear. Sometimes he runs away from them, but when
they catch up with him and press upon him, his heart grows
dispirited.

There is another spiritual fault which disturbs calmness: this is

the suspicious restless conscience. Whoever has this
conscience can never live in calmness.

This conscience "strain out a gnat" (Matthew 23), and imagines evil
where it is not, or enlarges the weight of sin beyond what it actually
is.

This conscience lives always in suffering, in doubt and remorse. It is

not calm from within.

CHAPTER 4: How We Can Obtain Calmness

There are many ways of obtaining calmness, but at the top of the
list we must put the love of calmness and the conviction about its
importance.

1. Love of Calmness

You cannot live in peace unless you are convinced that it is the right
way to live. This is because your conviction unquestionably affects
your behaviour. You must then be convinced that settling affairs or
solving problems is not achieved by force, worry, by getting upset or
by fear or despair. On the contrary, only the calm person can think
in a balanced way and solve his problems and behave well. Once
he loses his calmness, he becomes disturbed and cannot find a
solution. There are some people to whom distressing news or
events brings on ill health, for example, such problems as diabetes,
high blood pressure, stomach ulcers or nervous damage, which
causes them to need psychiatrists and general practitioners. Their
lack of tranquillity may last a long time during which they become
the object of people's pity! Besides harming themselves those who
are restless can harm others too.

If you are convinced, then, of the harmful effects of a lack of

calmness, try always to be calm, and follow the ways which will lead
you to peace. Know that the thoughts of the person who thinks
calmly are sound and strong and will enable him to understand,
draw conclusions, grasp a subject and solve his problems. The
tranquil heart gives peaceful solutions and does not cause
problems.

2. The Calmness of Nature

Nature, being calm, conveys its calmness to the spirit, and the
calmness of nature aids the calmness of the individual's character. It
is on account of this that people go to parks and gardens, where
beautiful natural scenes soothe their nerves. If they are not able to
do this regularly, as a matter of course, at least they can do it on
holidays from work. Some people can travel to a rural areas with
beautiful scenery. Many people, at the very least, like to put flowers
in their homes in special containers or decorate the walls of their
homes with some peaceful natural scenes.

Some people choose their homes in quiet areas and live in the less
crowded suburbs where there is not so much in the way of
machines, vehicles, noise of traffic and noise of factories, shops and
such like to disturb the peace. As we have mentioned above, some
suburbs insist that building should not be carried out over the whole
area, and restrict the height of dwellings so that around each house
there can be a garden with trees and flowers, to give the place
beauty and so each person can enjoy a sufficient amount of fresh
air and beautiful natural views which bring calmness to the soul. If
there is no overcrowding, noise is decreased and this is another
factor that aids tranquillity.

Those who are unable to live in more peaceful surroundings are

advised at least to take breaks from their environment, in search of
calmness for their nerves. I read once during the war, that
Eisenhower, when he was president of America, went to spend a
holiday at one of the lakes where they took a photograph of him
fishing. He was relaxing despite his massive responsibilities, for he
knew well that calmness of the nerves would help him to be relaxed
in bearing his responsibilities, and would give vitality to his thoughts
and tranquillity to his soul.

We recall that Our Lord Jesus used to take his disciples to secluded
places. Sometimes he would take them to fields and orchards,
sometimes he would talk to them on the hills or at the seashore.
The miracle of the five loaves and two fish took place in a secluded
spot. I wish someone would study the subject of nature and Jesus'
relationship with it.

The Monasteries

The Desert Fathers have always lived in the peace of the desert,
and thus have lived peacefully, without any external factors to
arouse or disturb them. Therefore their dispositions have always
been tranquil and they have had the serenity of thought and heart to
be able to contemplate deeply on how to deal with situations. Thus
they have been able to give calm advice to anyone who has sought
their guidance. They have put this monastic principle before
themselves: "With stillness of the body we acquire tranquillity of the
soul".

A monk who did not find sufficient peace in the monastic order used
to resort to a life of solitude in a cave or hill dwelling where he lives
with tranquil senses and calm emotions. That is why some Fathers
call the monastic life, 'the life of silence'. The Fathers have always
preferred the calm of the night to the bustle of the day. Their prayers
in the quietness of the night can be deeper and more contemplative
than they are in the glare of the day. Saint Isaac the Syrian said,
"Night is set aside for the act of prayer", and the writer of the Psalms
says: "Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by
night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the Lord." (Psalm 134) I remember that I wrote in my
diary one night in my cave in the mountains (perhaps it was in
1960), the following couple of lines:

"The peace of the night is music and secrets whispering to me, the
sound of the wind gently pouring the melody into my ear".
Unfortunately some cities have spoilt the calm of the night and
instead have made the night a time of noisy parties and nightclubs
with all their entertainment, and in so doing they have removed
night time far away from peace and from God. Therefore, for the
sake of creating peace, the monasteries have set up retreat houses.
The intention is that young people can spend a quiet period there
for meditation and prayer, far from the noise of the city and far from
the stimulations which make the soul rise and fall. During this period
they can recharge their inner calmness which will revitalise their
spiritual strength and fortify their hearts.

It is important for those who go to the monasteries for the purpose

of finding tranquillity should not cause the monasteries to lose their
peacefulness. The visit is not simply for a change of atmosphere or
to receive a blessing from the holy places, but rather for the spiritual
benefit which it can bring, and for spending time in prayer reading,
meditation and examining the soul. It is better if one goes alone,
and not with a group of people to spend time discussing and
chatting with them!!

The visitor to the monastery will benefit from following a spiritual

programme and therefore not disturb the peacefulness of the
monastery.

3. Tranquillity of The Heart

The wide-open heart can accept many things, without getting
annoyed at them.

The tranquil heart produces calm thoughts and also calm emotions.
It never thinks of the difficulties of the problem but only how to solve
them. Someone who is overwhelmed by his pains becomes
exhausted by them, but someone who thinks of how to solve his
problems, works his way out of his pain and relaxes as soon as he
reaches a solution. If he does not find a way out of his difficulty,
then he leaves it to God, trusting that God has many solutions. With
faith, the heart grows calm, trusting in the work of God.

The important matter is not the problem but the way in which you
deal with it and your response to the problem. What matters is how
much you let yourself become upset by the problem and the kind of
effect it has upon you. Is it affecting you deeply and troubling you or
is it floating on the surface of your thoughts without you allowing it to
trouble or pre-occupy you? What is your reaction to the problem and
your inner response?

The tranquil soul faces things calmly, no matter how complicated

they are. If we get disturbed, then everything in front of us gets
disturbed. And if we are calm then everything in our view appears
calm. So the type of interaction between ourselves and the problem
is the basis of our feelings. The restless soul is always pessimistic
and expects the worst, but the calm person receives the most
difficult news with composure and deals with the matter calmly,
because he is used to behaving this way.

If you are secure within, you will be fortified against any disturbance,
like a person who is immunised against a specific virus. Even if the
germ enters the body, it will not harm the person. You will be like
this. As long as you live in the world you cannot escape problems,
so the practical solution is to train yourself to rise above the
provocation that they can cause. You will come to realise fully that
getting upset does not solve problems, but that they are solved by
calm, balanced thought which arrives at practical, and feasible
solutions. We want tranquillity of the heart in order that we obtain
outward calmness in dealing with practical matters and in our daily
behaviour. All kinds of outer peace which we can practise or benefit
from will contribute to our inner peace.

4. Don't Be Easily Provoked

Accept everything calmly, no matter how troublesome it is. Do not

let external causes arouse you on the inside. Don't be easily incited
and don't be volatile or easily manipulated. Be calm and train
yourself for internal peace and tranquillity of heart. There is a kind of
person who, if you tell him some news, shows signs of panic in his
features; his eyes, his expression, his voice, so much so that you
say to him, "Don't worry, nothing's happened..." or you leave the
conversation unfinished. But you must not be like this, for Our Lord
Jesus said: "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
(John 14:27). Do not be easily affected, and if you do become
upset, put a limit to it and try to calm yourself. If you throw a stone at
a mountain you will not shake it, nor will it be affected by the stone.
But if you throw the same stone at a pane of glass, the glass will be
smashed and shattered into pieces. Be like the mountain, not like
the glass. I want you to be strong, resilient mountains, not easily
shaken, in fact completely unshakeable. A lit match set against
some straw quickly sets it on fire, while a flame placed in water does
not burn but is extinguished. Which of these are you like?

5. Faith

In the midst of problems a person can be calm by means of faith; as

long as he believes that God exists, that He upholds, directs and
protects and that He also judges the wrong doers (Psalm 146:7). If
he believes that God will certainly intervene with love and create a
solution for him, or intervene with his justice and raise the
oppression from him. If he puts before him the words of the Lord: "I
will not leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5).

He leaves everything to God and is neither afraid nor troubled,

trusting in God's actions on his behalf.

Those who believe in the action of God and His protection never get
upset. Their reliance on God gives them inner peace. In fact, their
faith makes them see good in everything; even what appears to be
distressing or troublesome, they believe that God will certainly
change it to good. In their trust in God they live a life of total
submission and inner peace. The meaning of faith is not that the
person adopts a passive stance. On the contrary, he does all that
he can, without getting upset, putting the matter in God's hands right
from the start and putting before himself the words of the Bible: "The
things which are impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke
18:27) As long as God sees everything and wants the best for
everyone, and is able to bring this about, why lose one's calm?!

If someone loses his tranquillity of heart as a result of problems,

there must be a flaw in his heart that needs to be treated. This flaw
might be a lack of faith that has given rise to doubt, then fear and
then confusion. This is until he enters into the element of faith - faith
in strong prayer and its effectiveness. Prayer, to whomever believes
in it, cures fear and disturbance. With prayer you feel that you are
not alone, you are surrounded with divine power helping you,
therefore you become calm and feel secure.

6. Living with Calm People

If one lives with calm people one tends to gain their calmness. And
if one lives with disturbed or volatile people one tends to be affected
by their emotions. Thus psychological disorders can be transferred
by influence through living in close proximity. In this way, fear or
doubt or anxiety is transferred from one person to another.

On the other hand living with calm people gives trust, reassurance
and peace. You might read some disturbing news and become
worried, and then you meet someone calm and find that he meets
this same news with complete faith, absolutely sure that nothing
awful will happen at all. And as he explains it to you, his assurance
begins to rub off on you and your mind becomes calm.

If you live with calm people you can absorb their faith and tranquillity
and obtain peace for yourself from their inner peace. You can also
use their calmness as an example and model and try to emulate this
because you like them and they make you feel comfortable. And
you will also become

accustomed to their way of thinking when faced with problems and

difficulties. You learn how the mind can grasp a problem and digest
it from their intelligence, and how things can be understood and
problems solved and the best way of dealing with them can be
found. As well as this, you will learn from their faith, from their
patience, endurance and ability to hold out. Thus you can learn the
practical sources of calmness from living with them.

Living with calm people is the best kind of tranquilliser: they are
calming, peaceful souls. We can add to this a calming Father
Confessor to whom anxious souls come and confess and obtain
relief. He is also a means of obtaining calmness, through meeting
with him you relieve yourself of a burden and become calm.
7. Joy and Cheerfulness

The spirit of joy and a cheerful face gives the person mental
calmness and relaxation, and wards off trouble and depression.
However charged and noisy the atmosphere, the person who has
inner joy and cheerfulness can make everyone laugh with his gentle
humour, or at least make them smile, and with his joy remove the
atmosphere of tension. We recall here the words of the Bible: "a
time to weep and a time to laugh ". Yes, there is a time for laughter,
perhaps to remove tension from people, or from the individual
himself, or to defuse anger.

If someone hears an unkind word from a person, instead of getting

angry, he can reply with humour, and so the two can laugh and the
anger disappears. Thus the joyful person is loved by all, and always
lives in peace and wherever he goes his dealings with people are
peaceful.

You find that people who are characterised by joy have calm nature.
It is not easy to provoke or anger them. They are not only calm
themselves, but are able to calm others too. Joyfulness may
sometimes be one of the elements of "the gentle answer" which
turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1). There are some people who
always read the jokes first in the papers, because it makes them
feel cheerful and calm so that the less pleasant news does not
affect them so much. You can find a type of person who makes you
smile even before he speaks, because you are already expecting
him to say something funny or something that will make you happy.
You feel particularly happy when you meet this type of person at the
beginning of your day.

May you all have smiling, cheerful faces which spread serenity to
others. People cannot bear to see a person with a gloomy or
depressed face. It makes them lose their calmness and inner
peace.

8. Humility and Gentleness

Calmness is one of the natural characteristics of the gentle person,

The gentle person is calm, because "A bruised reed He will not
break, And smoking flax He will not quench," (Matthew 12:20). He
does not get angry or annoyed or raise his voice because he is
calm.

The gentle person has a kind heart, he does not fight or argue, he is
not "self-seeking" (1 Corinthians 13:5), he does not resist evil
(Matthew 5:39) and even in his discussions he is calm, not
interrupting when someone else is talking, not getting annoyed or
upset.

The gentle person is pleasant natured, and not harsh or rude in any
way. He does not put pressure on other people, or insist, he makes
things easy, not seeking his own comfort but rather that of others,
which is why he is calm.

The gentle person is tolerant, for example, he does not answer back
or hurt another or insult him, he does not talk down to him, but talks
calmly with him. He does not rebuke or condemn anyone, but
expresses his opinion with strength of conviction, not with pride or
irritability.

For all these reasons, the characteristics of the gentle person are
completely in accord with those of the calm person. If you acquire
gentleness you will automatically have the characteristics of
calmness. So try to acquire the quality of gentleness and its traits,
and train yourself to be gentle. If you do, you will certainly arrive at
calmness.

Calmness is also one of the features of the humble person. The

humble person does not make anyone angry or allow himself to be
angered by anyone, and so deals peacefully with people. Since he
is characterised by a humility of spirit, this humility cannot have the
feature of sharpness or anger because they would conflict with it.
Rather, you find that the humble person is gentle in his behaviour,
calm when he talks and not disruptive at all.

The humble person always finds himself at fault and blames himself
for everything. By not blaming anyone else, instead of making an
issue of a possible offence from others, he reduces it by letting it
pass by, out of the contriteness of his heart. Instead of fighting or
entering into conflict he remains calm. The humble person asks for
blessing for everyone, thus he lives in love with all, dealing with
them gently and peacefully. He also bears everything, without
making a fuss on account of defending himself. Whatever harm
befalls him he says, "this is because of my sins", and then he is
silent and does not rebel against it. He therefore lives in peace with
people. The basic reason for loss of calmness is being self centred,
too much concentration on the self. Humility is being selfless, being
remote from oneself. In humility there is self-denial, and any
concern over one's 'honour' and 'rights' (which are the causes of a
person losing his tranquillity if he is not humble) is kept at a
distance. As long as the humble person is unconcerned about
matters which relate to his personal honour, he does not lose his
calmness because of these things, they simply pass by.

Also, the humble person does not surround himself with the noise
and fuss that those who are eager for praise are so keen on. Read
about the reasons for loss of calmness and compare them with
humility and its characteristics. You will then see how humility
contributes to calmness, and you will also see that whoever loses
his humility loses him calmness.

9. Exercising Calmness

1. Get yourself into the habit of entering and leaving calmly. Open
your door and shut it quietly without causing a sound. Move your
furniture and belongings inside your room quietly.

2. Let your walking be graceful, without any running, without any

fuss or awkwardness, without letting your shoes cause a sound, like
those whose shoes announce their arrival long before they appear.
It says in 'Paradise of the Fathers', "Tread lightly with a soft sound".

3. Get into the habit of talking quietly, not rushing your words or
sharpening your voice, do not get into the habit of shouting and
using a loud voice. Let your words be peaceful. If you feel like
saying a harsh or rude word, hold your tongue and don't say it.
Think of its awful consequences.

4. If you write an angry letter, do not send it in a hurry. Leave it for a

day or two then read it again and change whatever needs to be
changed in it.

5. Do not obey any idea which urges you to act quickly. Wait until
you have examined it calmly from every aspect.

6. Train yourself not to rush and plunge in hastily. Know well that
impatience indicates the person's lack of peace inside. The calm
person is patient. If someone gets worked up, he loses his ability to
be calm; he cannot wait. He wants to do something or say
something now, anything, or make a decision, without being calm
about it.
If someone says to you, "I lack the virtue of patience," say to him,
"Then you also lack the virtue of calmness," because they both go
together.

7. Give your body rest, don't exhaust it. The nerves of a person who
is in a state of exhaustion have little tolerance, so that it is easy for
him to lose his tranquillity and behave angrily or nervously for the
most trivial of reasons. So do not enter into sharp discussions if you
are tired.

8. Take advantage of the fasting periods to practise being tranquil.

The Bible says: " Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly". (Joel
2:15) Remember that the Lord Jesus spent 40 days fasting on the
mountain peacefully. (Matthew 4) Our problem, however, is that
although we have many fasts, we are surrounded by noise and
bustle on all sides and so do not derive the full benefit intended from
the fast!

9. Avoid stimulants as much as you can and things that upset you. If
you lose your composure or are attacked by a lack of calmness,
look to see whether the reasons are inside you or outside, and
avoid the situations which give rise to such a state, especially in
your dealings with others. As one of the Fathers put it: "Don't have
anything to do with a person through whom the enemy fights you" .
Steer clear of sharp discussions, obeying the words of the wise
man: "Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious
man do not go. Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your
soul." (Proverbs 22:24-25). Also avoid noisy places and reading
things, or listening to news which can upset or annoy you and make
you lose your peace of mind.

10. Don't suppose that other people are perfect or ideal. Don't
expect too much from them. If others do wrong, don't be upset.
People are like that; they can be good or bad. Don't imagine that
you are dealing with angels and saints, but with ordinary human
beings. It is no good to let their mistakes towards us make us upset.

11. Do not reply to anyone while you are angry, but wait until you
have calmed yourself down, then finish the conversation, or if you
cannot postpone it, then at least be silent and say to yourself, "It's
not good for me to talk with him while I am not calm".

12. Do not resort to drugs to obtain calmness, such as tranquillisers,

sleeping pills, alcohol or narcotics, because they will all mislead you,
without solving your troubles. Try to solve your problems inside
yourself by practical solutions and spiritual means. Know well that a
person who gets into the habit of taking tranquillisers becomes
addicted to them and they do him no good. In fact he is forced to
take more and more and wakes up from them only to find himself
just as tired as before but without a solution!

13. Also, do not search for calmness by escapism or introversion.

Do not imagine that by keeping to yourself and escaping that you
will become calm. No, not at all; that is an unhealthy kind of
calmness. Inside yourself you will be far from calm, and your
problems will still be far from solved. If you have a problem at home,
do not imagine that the solution to the problem is to escape from the
house to a cafe, club or bar, for example. The problem will still be
there to face you when you get back, because it needs a practical
solution.

14. Avoid using rudeness or force of any kind. Do not reply to

rudeness with rudeness. This is not the spiritual way and the Bible
says: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
(Romans 12:21)

15. If problems become complicated, and you cannot find a solution,

and you feel that your mind is unable to think in the face of these
problems, don't lose your calm. Try to seek advice. Perhaps you will
find something in the advice that will calm you and give you peace.
It may give you a fresh, new idea that may lead to the solution to the
difficulty, and which will make you feel that a door has opened
before you.

16. The ascetic spirit gives peace in the matters where the person
loses his peace of mind through the pressure of desires upon him
and the frustration he feels because of not being able to achieve
them. If you are really convinced of the transient nature of the world
you will become calm.
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