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Calmness is composed of various elements: calmness of
temperament, tranquillity of the nerves and stillness of the body,
which includes the serenity of the senses, movements and
features. There is also inner calmness, the peacefulness of the
soul, which is made up of the tranquillity of the heart and
thoughts. From this also comes calmness of speech and
behaviour.
The person who is really calm, is calm in every way. His
behaviour is calm, his dealings with people are calm. He lives
with an inner peace which radiates as peace on the outside.
Whatever peace there is inside him overflows as peace outside
him. If he speaks he speaks calmly, even if he is being firm and
correcting another, he does so calmly.
He does not lose his calmness whatever the reason might be,
whatever the provocation from outside, because he is
accustomed to being calm, and calmness has become part of his
character.
Calmness of Temperament
Some people may be born calm by nature or temperament, or
might have inherited calmness from their parents, while others
have trained themselves to be calm by practising it and making
it a habit so it became their nature.
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Others, however, are the opposite, they have no calmness in
their character, their nature is fiery. Wherever one of them
stays, tension accompanies him and the temperature rises. His
unrest precedes him. He is tantamount to a burning flame
which wherever it is cast, ignites and burns and explodes in
sparks. His glances are full of fire, his words are bombshells,
his requests are orders and threats that have to be carried out
immediately.
When someone with a fiery character finds a quiet-natured
person, he tries to provoke him, but if the calm person
encounters a fiery one he tries to pacify him.
What is your character like? Is it a fiery one or a peaceful one?
If the former is the case, and you have a fiery nature, do not
despair and do not give up and submit to it as if it were
something unchangeable even if you were born with it.
Characters can be changed and when trained can become their
opposite.
Saint Moses the Black at the start of his life had a harsh
frightening, murderous nature, but he was transformed into a
gentle, calm person who loved people and was loved by them, a
welcoming person, smiling and meek.
Saint John the Beloved did not begin his life that way, for both
he and his brother James were nicknamed Boanerges, meaning
Sons of Thunder. (Mark 3:17). When one of the Samaritan
villages refused to accept the Lord, James and John asked him if
they could, "call fire down from heaven to destroy them".(Luke 9:54). But with time and through the actions of the Holy
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Spirit, this fiery nature calmed down and John was turned into
John the Beloved who spoke of love.
When it comes to calmness, what a difference there is between
the nature of the roots and the nature of the boughs and
branches. The branches, by their very nature, bow and bend
with the winds to left and right according to the wind's
direction, and may cause a soft or loud sound as they bend. But
the roots extend into the ground quietly without a sound,
drawing in their nourishment and feeding the restless branches
too.
Let us now move from calmness of character to another point
which is: