Gladenning the Inner Space
Lately, I’ve witnessed people expressing deep disappointment that life isn’t working out in their favor. I get it. When we envision our lives unfolding in a neat, linear fashion, it’s jarring to hit a wall. But we all dead-end sometimes. That’s part of the path. The work is to notice when we’re stuck on a narrow street of “stuckedness,” turn around, and find another way.
The hero’s journey is full of traps, setbacks, and unpredictable turns. Yet regardless of the outer obstacles to fulfillment, I’ve come to realize that the true key lies in the vastness of the inner world. This is where fulfillment begins and ends. Our relationship to life, to so-called reality, is shaped from within.
I’m increasingly challenged by the waves of pessimism on social media and in the news—places where people chronicle and amplify the brutality of day-to-day existence. We are, collectively, seduced by global fear and lost in polarized narratives. We’ve forgotten the deeper reason we came here: to gladden the environment—both inside and out.
At this point, isn’t it obvious that madness and struggle are part of the human experience? Every day, we’re exposed to a media circus of noise and outrage. The names change weekly, but the drama remains: ego-driven leaders, global crises, territorial feuds. It won’t end until we learn to collectively PAUSE. And in that pause, we might remember: true wealth and real sovereignty exist right here, right now.
What I really want to master is this: how to gladden the inner space. How to uplift the struggling person before me. How to bring lightness into the present moment—not someday, but today.
Waiting for life to “work out” is risky. It keeps us tethered to hope as a strategy. But life is unpredictable, because 8 billion people are making mostly reactive, irrational choices—often without any regard for the whole.
The outer world may never be fully resolvable. But the inner world is.
That’s the invitation. That’s mindfulness.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t work to improve the world. Of course we should. But real change begins inside. It begins with learning how to calm the erratic storm of unexamined thoughts, opinions, and emotions.
Why has this always been the case? Because life will always disappoint. That’s not cynical—it’s human. What shapes our path isn’t whether we’re disappointed, but how we dance with that disappointment. Most of it stems from unrealistic expectations, from wishful thinking that clings to outcomes.
Complaining and pessimism are the residue of clinging. We hold on to imagined pleasures, and we suffer when they dissolve. That’s the universal formula.
How we handle unwelcome outcomes—that’s where the line is drawn between the hero and the victim.
Yes, existence can be brutal. But it can also be breathtakingly beautiful. Right now, while terrible things unfold, so do small miracles: somewhere a child is laughing, lovers are holding each other under the stars, flowers are blooming in secret gardens, poets are penning truth into form.
We all get what we want—sometimes. And sometimes, life delivers something we never ordered and certainly don’t want. The question is: how resourced are we inside to meet what’s been delivered?
During the pandemic, I learned to find beauty on the inside. And now, as I step back into the world, I’m committed to preserving that inner beauty. I won’t trade it for external success. If I go to bed with a loving heart, I’ve succeeded. If I fall asleep angry at the world, I’ve missed my mission—to bring more love, compassion, and understanding into the chaos.
Even our dreams carry consequence. Why not dream with kindness and gratitude? It’s a choice. Activate your will.
By taking refuge in a calm, clear inner space, we begin to see the outer world differently—more holistically, more compassionately. No matter how loud the world gets, when we center ourselves, we’re no longer tossed around like emotional debris. We stop becoming whiny, reactive puppets of circumstance. Life, even in its harshest forms, is still a gift. It’s the best possible training ground for the human soul.
Why are we here? What are we meant to do with this brief, wondrous time?
Make the effort.
Train yourself not to let a cruel world make you cruel.
Shatter your own cycles of negative thought.
Take responsibility for your state.
If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins. All great things begin from the inside.
Keep walking your hero’s path. Offer solutions. Be of use. Don’t let your voice be reduced to complaints. Let it become a spark for collective awakening.
This is just my two cents today. You might see things differently. And while I may disagree with your views, I’ll defend your right to speak them. Why? Because your voice reveals something essential: that we are all, in one way or another, at war within ourselves.
And understanding that shared inner conflict?
That’s what keeps me devoted to this work.
By Evangelos