“A king of a great kingdom had reached an advanced age and wanted to ensure that, before leaving the world, he passed on to his son an important lesson that had been providential during the most difficult times of his reign. However, the young prince didn’t quite understand what his father wanted to teach him.
– Yes, I understand that balance is very important to you, but I think cunning and power are more important.
The king thought that perhaps his son didn’t need it repeated, but rather to see it performed, so he came up with a great idea. He gathered the most important people of his court in the main hall of the palace.
“I want a painting competition to be held, the largest and most important of all. The town criers must reach every corner of the kingdom and proclaim that the winner will receive an extraordinary reward.”
– Your Majesty – asked one of the nobles – what is the theme of the contest?
– The theme is serenity, balance. I only command you one thing: do not reject any work under any circumstances, no matter how strange it may seem or how unpleasant it may be.
Those nobles walked away, although they did not quite understand the king’s unusual order.
Wonderful paintings began to arrive from all over the kingdom. Some showed calm seas, others clear skies in which a flock of birds could be seen flying peacefully.
The nobles were thrilled by such beautiful paintings.
– Without a doubt, His Majesty the King will have a very difficult time choosing the winning painting among such magnificent works.
Suddenly, to everyone’s astonishment, a very strange painting appeared. Painted in dark tones and with little light, it depicted a stormy sea in which enormous waves violently crashed against the dark rocks of a cliff. The sky was covered with enormous, dark storm clouds.
The nobles looked at each other and soon burst into laughter.
– Only a madman could have entered a painting like this into a contest about serenity.
They were about to dismiss it when one of the nobles intervened, saying:
– The king told us that no painting could be rejected, no matter how strange. Even if we didn’t understand this order, we can’t ignore it.
– Okay, but put that painting in that corner, where it can barely be seen.
The day arrived when the king was to choose the winning painting. Upon arriving at the hall, his face reflected enormous joy, but as he looked at the different works, his joy turned to disappointment.
“Your Majesty, aren’t you satisfied with any of these works?” asked one of the nobles.
– Yes, they are very beautiful, but they are missing something.
The king had reached the end of the exhibition without finding the painting he was looking for when, suddenly, he noticed a work peeking out in a corner.
– What is there that you can barely see?
– It’s another picture, your majesty.
– And why did you put it in such a remote place?
– Your Majesty, it’s a painting by a madman. We would have rejected it, but following your orders, we’ve decided to place it in a corner so it doesn’t overshadow the beauty of the whole.
The king approached to see that strange painting, which was indeed difficult to understand. Then he did something that none of the members of the court had done: he came closer. Suddenly, his face lit up, and he declared:
– This is the winning painting.
The nobles looked at each other in astonishment, thinking the king had lost his mind. One of them timidly asked:
– Your Majesty, we have never discussed your decisions, but what do you see in that picture that makes you declare it the winner?
– You didn’t get a good look, come closer.
When the nobles approached, the king showed them something among the rocks. It was a small nest containing a newborn baby bird. The mother was feeding it, completely oblivious to the storm.
The king explained to them that this was the message he so longed to convey to his son.
– Serenity doesn’t come from living in ideal circumstances, as the other paintings reflect with their calm seas and clear skies. Serenity is the ability to keep your attention focused, amidst difficulty, on what is a priority for you.”
Serenity is a state of mind
A Zen proverb says that “The only serenity you find at the top of the mountains is the serenity you carry there.” In fact, it’s likely that after a tense day, even if you’re calm at home, you can’t find serenity, because that tranquility only increases your inner tension.
This is because serenity is not found outside, but within us. Of course, a quiet and peaceful place can help us calm down, but only if we adopt the right mindset. If we drag our tensions and worries with us wherever we go, it will be impossible to find peace anywhere.
In Sanskrit there is a word to refer to the cultivation of calm and serenity through mental concentration: Śamatha, which is also one of the main objectives of meditative practices in Buddhism.
This philosophy encourages us to find serenity in our daily lives, even amidst the hustle and bustle of the office, the chaos of the fast-paced modern life… The serenity cultivated only in an environment of peace and tranquility probably won’t be of much use in the midst of a storm.
The skeptical philosophers also had a word for this state, ataraxia. This term encompassed a solid state of tranquility characterized by letting go of tension and worries. In fact, achieving the state of ataraxia was one of the primary goals of the early skeptics.
Staying calm when everything is going according to our expectations and the horizon is calm isn’t much of an achievement. The real achievement is staying calm when things are going wrong. At that moment, serenity becomes a very powerful tool, as it will allow us to make the best decisions, without being carried away by emotions that can lead us down harmful paths.
Understanding and putting this idea into practice means truly taking control of our lives, as we stop being puppets of circumstances; we stop reacting automatically to events and instead take control and decide how to respond.
How to cultivate calm in the midst of the storm?
Both skeptics and Buddhists agreed on the path to developing the serenity that protects us in the midst of the storm, so that it becomes a lasting and solid state. The Greek philosopher Pyrrho believed that, since reality depends on our worldview, the path to serenity lies in suspending our judgments, as this avoids the conflicts that arise from those assessments, most of which depend on our expectations and preconceived ideas.
According to Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Sanghasena, serenity cannot be based on dualities, such as pleasure and pain or happiness and sadness, but rather we must go a step further and practice radical acceptance of what happens in the present moment, without making value judgments.
Both philosophies encourage us to understand that reality is constantly changing and that it is often our thoughts and attitudes that make things worse. Therefore, if we want to cultivate lasting serenity, we must understand that everything comes and everything passes.
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