“The ideal man is he who, in the midst of the greatest silence and solitude, finds the intensest activity, and in the midst of the intensest activity finds the silence and solitude of the desert. He has learned the secret of restraint; he has controlled himself.”
— Swami Vivekananda
A popular image of the sattvik is of one who gives up society, consumes only fruits and milk, and meditates all the time. But, as in most cases, the popular image is just a cliché.
Sattvikas are not just rishis or monks; they’re everywhere. They are the man selling vegetables in the mandi, the single mother giving her child and her work her best, the artist slogging it out in the studio, and the soldier defending his country. Whether or not their surroundings are peaceful, they remain calm, steady, and balanced.
You can become like this too… once you recognize that the calm and the storm are not outside, but inside, you. You can overcome any challenges if, like a ship that floats because it keeps out the water, you can keep out negativity.
It’s not circumstances but you who have control over your emotions. You have the power to remain calm, to maintain balance and equanimity (sattva) everywhere. Exercise it.