Do you have Inner Peace? Ask yourself these 12 questions.

I’ve written previously about John Templeton and his inspirational tome the Worldwide Laws of Life. Within the book he has a brief but important passage that appears randomly at the end of a chapter and is credited to “Anonymous”. It’s titled “Symptoms of Inner Peace”.

I wrote about it in a recent post on Elephant Journal, but quickly found out the author wasn’t anonymous after all. I received a message from Saskia Davis of Seattle who identified herself as the original writer of the work.

Written in 1984, Symptoms of Inner Peace first appeared in a church newsletter. It then took on a life of its own, being passed on one mimeographed copy at a time until it had been distributed around the world, though in many cases Saskia’s name had fallen off the copies. Years later she discovered it on the Internet and has since trademarked SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE (c) 1984.

I’ve taken Saskia’s original work and modified it ever so slightly, though I’ve tried to keep her original intent intact.

Symptoms Of Inner Peace

1. Do you have a tendency to think and act spontaneously, rather than based on past experience?
2. Do you have an unmistaken ability to enjoy each and every minute?
3. Have you lost interest in judging others?
4. Have you lost interest in judging yourself?
5. Have you lost interest in conflict?
6. Have you lost interest in interpreting the actions and motives of others?
7. Have you lost the ability to worry?
8. Do you have frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation?
9. Do you have contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
10. Do you have frequent attacks of smiling through the heart?
11. Do you have increased susceptibility to love that’s extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it?
12. Do you have an increasing tendency to let things happen, rather than to manipulate them and make them happen?

I won’t tell you my score, but I will tell you this: I can see where it would have been lower just a few years ago. And, as we collectively grow older, I think that’s true for most of us. As we find our calling and life path, we achieve a greater level of inner peace, at the same time growing closer to the Divine.

Thanks Saskia, for the inspiring and thought-provoking prose!You can learn more about  Saskia Davis and her goal of spreading a pandemic of Inner Peace at her Web site symptomsofinnerpeace.net where you can also order posters of the original text.