Serenity

Last week, or earlier this week, a friend of mine reminded me of the serenity prayer.

From Wikipedia,

The Serenity Prayer is a prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr on July 1, 1943, for the Union Church of Heath, Massachusetts. However, the prayer is reported to have been used before that date at Alcoholics Anonymous early in 1942. It is used in Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and other 12-step programs.

The short version that most people are familiar with goes as follows:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Alternate versions of the Serenity Prayer exist. The following version is said to be the author's favorite version in a letter supposedly written by his wife:
God give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things which should/must be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

The full version of the prayer is as follows:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right, if I surrender to His will. That I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Now, I don't know about God anymore, or right now, for the time being, anyway. But the notion of serenity is interesting.

In Latin,

Deus, dona mihi serenitatem accipere res quae non possum mutare, fortitudinem mutare res quae possum, atque sapientiam differentiam cognoscere.

Webster says that serenity is,

the quality or state of being serene,

and that that is,

1 a: clear and free of storms or unpleasant change b: shining bright and steady
2 : August -- used as part of a title
3 : marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude

Serenity. Serenity? Hmmmmm...

In thinking about life, as I mentioned earlier, I have come to two personal realizations:
1. When it comes to the measure of our lives, all that we have is love.
2. Human existence is the experience of a state of consciousness.

Webster defines consciousness as,

1 a : the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself b : the state or fact of being conscious of an external object, state, or fact c : Awareness; especially : concern for some social or political cause

2 : the state of being characterized by sensation, emotion, volition, and thought

3 : the totality of conscious states of an individual

4 : the normal state of conscious life

5 : the upper level of mental life of which the person is aware as contrasted with unconscious processes

Could it be then, that, to achieve the balance of a trinity of sorts, that, therefore, the goal of that life is, the ultimate end stage of that consciousness, might be the achievement of serenity?