Peace is a wonderful thing. External (as in no war between countries) and internal (as in no war within) peace are both desirable. Neither, however, is the highest good. There are times when nations must go to war, and there are times when you must have conflict within yourself in order to grow.

When I speak of internal conflict being necessary, I’m referring to when you have made a decision to change, but it hasn’t really permeated through you yet. Something like working out every day for at least thirty minutes… you will have conflict between your choice to do so, and your habit and natural tendency to not want to work harder than necessary. This conflict is necessary in order for you to grow in the path which you have chosen. And once you have that working out pattern set, it will no longer be a conflict, but a source of greater peace.

Any change brings with it conflict, though some bring much more conflict than others. Avoiding conflict completely means avoiding change completely. And if you’re avoiding change, you can’t be growing. You become stagnant, stuck in a rut, and that is very definitely not conducive to human happiness. So don’t avoid conflict at the cost of avoiding change. Embrace the conflict that you choose, absorb it, make it part of you, and let it help you grow.