The Search for Inner Peace

ALBERT was a happily married man with two delightful children. But he felt that something was missing in his life. During a time when he had to struggle to find work, he became involved in politics and adopted socialism. He even became an active member of the local Communist party.

Before long, however, Albert became disillusioned with Communism. He severed his ties with politics and devoted himself wholly to his family. Seeing to their happiness became his purpose in life. Nevertheless, Albert still felt a nagging void inside; true inner peace continued to elude him.

Albert’s story is by no means unique. In order to find a meaningful purpose in life, millions have experimented with various ideologies, philosophies, and religions. In the Western world, the hippie movement of the 1960’s was a rebellion against traditional moral and social values. Young people in particular searched for happiness and the meaning of life through mind-altering drugs and the philosophies of the movement’s so-called gurus and high priests. Nevertheless, the hippie movement failed to bring genuine happiness. Instead, it helped to produce drug addicts and promiscuous youths, accelerating society’s downward slide into moral confusion.

For centuries, many have sought happiness through wealth, power, or education. These paths ultimately lead to disappointment. “Even when a person has an abundance,” Jesus said, “his life does not result from the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15) Rather, the determined pursuit of wealth usually brings unhappiness. The Bible says: “Those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some . . . have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.”​—1 Timothy 6:9, 10.

How, then, can one find inner peace and a purpose in life? Is it a matter of trial and error, like shooting an arrow at an elusive target in the dark? Thankfully, no. As we shall see in the following article, the solution lies in satisfying a very important and, indeed, uniquely human need.

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Will pursuing wealth, power, or education help you to find inner peace?