The real meaning of peace

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would
paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked
at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he
had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for
peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky
with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was
a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and
bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which
lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming
waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a
tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird
had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water,
sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the
second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a
place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to
be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.
That is the real meaning of peace."

--- Author Unknown