Single-cup Sampler: The Inner Life

Viewing mind and soul independently of circumstance

I was doing some thinking today and was reminded of how much I truly enjoy spending time in thought. The inner life can be quite wonderful. The value of a healthy mind cannot be overstated and this is an area in which I have grown throughout my adult life (though I still have much room for improvement.) In a sense, my mind, soul and body are the only things in my life in which I have some degree of control.

So much time and money are spent trying to optimize our environment for happiness, but at the end of the day, how infrequently do we actually consider our inner life? We often treat our minds as if they are only able to produce happiness if our environment is suited for it and in so doing train our inner lives to merely mirror our circumstances. This is just fine if one has the perfect job, partner, car, etc. But what if there is some chaos in one’s life? If Viktor Frankl could find meaning in a Nazi concentration camp, can I find meaning and joy despite my external challenges? What if we recognized that our inner selves can be peaceful and joy-filled independent of our environment?