We are taught that peace waits at the end of our troubles, that once the hardship passes we will finally rest. Mark Nepo offers a very different and more freeing truth: there is no end to trouble. Peace is not what comes after it. Peace is the depth of being that holds all of it. In this conversation, Mark reframes what joy actually is. Not the woo-hoo of being constantly happy, but something far deeper and more durable. He uses the image of the ocean. The first few feet of the surface are always disturbed by weather, and that is the part of us that meets the world, our psychology, our daily mind, forever bounced around by experience. But beneath it lies the ocean of being, where you cannot tell where the wave ends and the depth begins, because it is all one water. Joy, he says, is that depth, the being that holds every wave and all the turbulence. He speaks tenderly about how this understanding was forged, through his cancer journey and a long season of chronic pain. On the surface he was agitated, in real need of help, yet in his depths he was so centered it confused him. He came to see that we are always asked to both survive and thrive, and that if we tend only to survival, fear becomes our god and self-interest its warrior. We are, he says, inevitably cracked open by life, again and again, and each breaking brings us closer to what he calls the heavenly pivot. It is not only suffering that opens us. Wonder can, and beauty, and being loved unconditionally for the first time. However it comes, something opens us, and that is where the real spiritual journey begins. Want to go deeper with Mark Nepo? Join Sounds True One for more teachings like this. Get your first month FREE at https://bit.ly/4ctecMn Subscribe to Sounds True's YouTube Channel ► https://bit.ly/SubscribeSTYT Sounds True is a mission-driven learning and media company, and a recognized leader in wellbeing, personal growth, and spiritual transformation. Partnering with the world’s foremost wisdom teachers and best-selling authors, the company reaches millions worldwide with its unique programs, digital learning experiences, and worldwide events. The company also features a variety of original series, weekly shows, and live online experiences on Sounds True One, its global platform and community with members across more than 125 countries. Sounds True is a Public Benefit Corporation and also the home of the Sounds True Foundation. Connect with us: ▪️Facebook: http://bit.ly/2XFIIeE ▪️Instagram: http://bit.ly/2UlEoiH ▪️Website: http://bit.ly/2tOl02d