We've all got things inside us that conflict, that move us forward on the one hand and, then, back on the other.
We've all got beliefs that conflict with what we actually do---what do you think that does to the world we create for ourselves? And we've all got fears, some of them shoved so deep inside us that they color our world without us even knowing they're there. And some of the colors are pretty dark. When Thoreau talked about living lives of quiet desperation, he probably got closer to what's going on inside us than we'd like to admit. It's no wonder that life comes out looking as crazy and scary as it does sometimes.
If we could settle down inside, I bet the outside would settle down, too. That's what the experts throughout recorded history have said, and I believe it.