Seeking Calm

Would you rather lead a calm or exciting life? In a 2020 Gallup poll released last Thursday and conducted in partnership with the Wellbeing for Planet Earth (WPE) Foundation, the verdict is clear: 72% of adults around the world say they would prefer to slow down and enjoy the moment rather than live life on the edge.

In the interviews, participants from 116 countries and territories were asked whether they prefer a calm life, an exciting life, or both a calm and exciting life. East Asia ranked the highest in its preference for a calm life at 85%, Latin America ranked second at 82%, the Middle East / North Africa ranked third at 77%, the United States / Canada ranked fourth at 75%, and Australia / New Zealand tied Russia / Central Asia for fifth at 73%. In the United States / Canada, 22% of participants chose an exciting life and 3% opted for both calm and exciting.

Researchers acknowledge that the pandemic has created a heightened culture of anxiety, which likely impacted participants' preference for the more tranquil life: "The notion of getting out there and trying something exciting feels quite loaded with risk," said Tim Lomas, senior researcher at Wellbeing for Planet Earth and a study contributor.

The poll also did not include questions about participants' financial well-being, which frequently impacts an individual's willingness to take risks. Adults interviewed in East Asian countries such as Japan and Korea overwhelmingly preferred calm, and their higher likelihood of material wealth could equate comfort but not necessarily tranquility; sometimes having greater material wealth leads to an aversion to excitement and a desire for relief from the anxiety of holding onto what one has accumulated. The lowest percentage of participants selecting the calm life came from South Asia, where just 56% of primarily low- and middle-income individuals prioritize calm; those with less material wealth often place higher value on excitement and the advancement possibilities it can bring.

The 2020 poll marks the first time researchers have asked this question at a global level. In future iterations of the study, researchers will measure how much effect the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on participants' preferences and perceptions.

As we ponder these remarkably cohesive results, here are the questions we need to be pondering: If the world is longing for peace, how can the church speak into this moment? What can you as an individual bring to the conversation?

Remember that peace is one of the resounding promises of both the Old and New Testaments:

The Lord gives strength to his people;

the Lord blesses his people with peace. (Psalm 29:11)

You will go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

will clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12)

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace," [Jesus said]. "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace -- as in all the congregations of the Lord's people. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

How can you bring peace to those around you this week -- not the activity-free peace of the secular world, but a Holy Spirit-inspired peace that buoys our soul regardless of the goings-on around us? How will you bring your hopes, longings, and anxieties fully before the Lord so you, too, can experience the peace that Jesus promises?

May Christ's peace reign over your week,

Jennie