If it costs you your peace, it’s too expensive…
I’ve encountered this quote several times recently, and it intrigues me. It speaks to self-awareness about how the people and circumstances around us affect our inner state.
It invites us to deeply consider what peace is and, more importantly, what it means to each of us individually.
Both explorations are worthy journeys because the self-knowledge we gain along the way is essential.
Recognising when our peace is missing or disrupted is relatively easy. Its absence affects everything – we simply cannot function effectively without it.
But I wonder: can I develop the ability to notice what threatens my peace at the very moment of encounter and immediately recognise it as too costly?
What I mean by “too expensive” is the visceral reaction we have when we pick up an item in a store, glance at the price tag, and instinctively return it to the shelf. Something within us instantly signals that saying yes would be a mistake.
I want to cultivate this same protective instinct when I begin to recognise something or someone threatening my peace – that immediate clarity that says, “This is not meant for me.”
