Incredible India monthly contest of September #2| Inner peace or outer Joy!

A picture of me and my friends full of inner peace

Let's say for instance, there are two men living in the same city— One is Mr. Paul,he is a banker with a good salary, he drives a clean Rolls Royce Cullinan car and he had others cars like Mercedes benz , Ferrari, Lamborghini and private jet. He always wears designer and costly clothes, and he always posts pictures of his vacations in Dubai and London on Twitter , Instagram etc. While the other Man is Mr Victor, he is a school teacher who earns modestly thoe , he lives in a quiet area of the town, and he spends his weekends at home reading, gardening, and attending Church.

From the outside, Mr.paul looks like he has it all that life needs which is —money, status, and enjoyment. But every night, he struggles to have a good sound sleep. His damn mindset is really full of many things like worries from office pressure, fear of losing his job, and the burden of him maintaining his flashy lifestyle forever. Meanwhile, Mr. Victor sleeps very sound and peacefully, he wakes up very refreshed, and he also feels content with his life, even though he doesn’t have much.

This is the difference between outer joy and inner peace.

Personally for me, I choose inner peace.

Why? Because inner peace is like having a calm mindset inside me. No matter the storm outside, i remain steady. Infact It is the kind of peace that allows me to sleep very well at night, without worries, smiling happily, and living without fear or pressure.

Outer joy, on the other hand, is often temporary. It comes from things like buying a new phone, going to parties, or getting More likes on our social media post. These things feel good, but they don’t really last. However, once the excitement fades away, you’re back to square one and that is very bad.

Let me give another example. A friend of mine, Solomon, once told me how he used to chase outer joy— like buying expensive wears, attending parties at weekends, and always trying to impress people around him. But truly ,deep down, he really do felt scattered and empty. It wasn’t until he started focusing on his mental health, praying more, and spending time with his family that he found the true meaning of happiness And joy. That’s inner peace.

So for me, inner peace is the real goal. It’s not really loud nor proud, but it’s very powerful than outer peace.

Yes surely, I can say,that can really happen, I strongly believe it is possible—and it happens a lot of times.

Infact many people always achieve outer joy through material things or social status, but they lack inner peace. This can be seen in celebrities who have fame and fortune but still battle depression. You see it in politicians who have power but live in fear. You even see it in regular people who smile in public but cry in private.

Outer joy is easy to chase. However we can surely buy it, borrow it, or even fake it. But you see inner peace, we can't buy it or fake it even to borrow, because it requires deep work. It comes from self satisfaction, forgiveness, spiritual connection daily, and living a life that aligns with our values and not on material things.

This really shows that outer joy without inner peace is like decorating our house full with broken walls. It may look fine from outside, but it’s not safe to live in it inside.

Here are some important lessons I’ve learned so far from observing and experiencing both emotional states:

• Lesson 1: Inner peace is not always about having less things and being broke and poor, it’s all about trying to need less and satisfy with what we have. When we stop comparing ourself to others and focus on what truly matters, we will surely find peace.

• Lesson 2: Outer joy can be misleading us. However,Just because someone is looking happy and dressing nicely and having costly doesn’t mean they are fine and okay deep down. And also We shouldn't try to envy people based on what we see on social media because we don't know what they are really passing through being on that level.

• Lesson 3: Truth be told,true joy or inner joy comes from within our hearts. By Spending time with our loved ones, helping others that needs the help, and being grateful for the life we are living can surely bring us more joy than struggling to have any material things.

• Lesson 4: I must say,balance is truly the key for inner joy.Surely,it’s really okay to enjoy life and pursue success, but we shouldn't let it steal our peace of mind. We should als try to make time for our rest, reflection, and spiritual growth. This will really be balanced.

• Lesson 5: Let's Protect our peace. Avoiding toxic relationships, unnecessary competition, and anything that disturbs our mind. Because, Peace is priceless.

So however, now, in conclusion, while outer joy may look attractive and interesting ,inner peace is what truly sustains us in this life. It’s the foundation or the key starter of a good and lively life. As far as we humans and still living on this world, we do face many challenges daily from time to time, but if we can find peace within our heart, we can overcome anything. So I sincerely encourage everyone reading this to reflect deeply: Are you chasing outer joy or building inner peace?

Let our answer guide our life.

_{All shown pictures are mine shoot on Tecno spark30. 📸📱}

Cc:
@meraindia