“People seek retreats for themselves in the country, by the sea, or in the mountains. You are very much in the habit of yearning for those same things. But this is entirely the trait of a base person, when you can, at any moment, find such a retreat in yourself. For nowhere can you find a more peaceful and less busy retreat than in your own soul — especially if on close inspection it is filled with ease, which I say is nothing more than being well-ordered. Treat yourself often to this retreat and be renewed.”
MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.3.1
People tend to think that they can only get some peace and quiet if they escape to the beach or to a quiet location out in the country, or in the forest. The point of today’s quote in The Daily Stoic is that you don’t have to go anywhere to have nice retreat — you can feel peaceful on the inside, regardless of your surroundings.
“Yes, but there’s so much distraction at my house,” you might say, “and the kids are driving me crazy! I need to get away to a cabin in the woods — then I’ll finally be able to recharge and find myself again.”
The truth is that you can find that inner peace at any time you desire, because it is within you. It doesn’t come from what’s around you. It doesn’t even come from nature, contrary to popular opinion. Appreciating beautiful nature might help inspire you, but the actual peace comes from inside you.
As Holiday points out in today’s chapter, you can find peace by putting on headphones, turning off our cellphones, and/or escaping to our bedroom and sitting in the dark. My favorite is going out to the garage and putting on some music. You can take a walk around your neighborhood, or just find a hidden corner of your yard and sit there in silence.
I think we intuitively know that all good things come from within — happiness, contentment, inspiration. It’s not wrong to want a retreat to a calmer place, but know that that peace you seek actually starts inside you, and you can access it any time, regardless of your surroundings.
