On 29 October, I had the incredible opportunity to attend one of the many conferences given by the famous Belgian lecturer Thomas d’Asembourg at the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen in Nice.
At a time when I myself am going through a transition in my personal and professional life, with all the turbulence that implies, I didn’t hesitate for a second when my friend suggested I attend a conference on the notion of Inner Peace! Even more so when I saw that it was being given by the famous Thomas d’Ansembourg, author of the bestseller “Cessez d’être gentil, soyez vrai” (Stop being nice, be true), which has sold half a million copies, and another lesser-known book, “La paix, ça s’apprend” (Peace can be learned). As someone who is so used to watching conferences and podcasts on YouTube (hello TedX) since 2017, I’m very excited to be attending a personal development conference for the first time in my life, and what’s more, in the magnificent amphitheatre of the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.
The Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen
Otherwise known as the CUM, is a place of memory and prestige that was created in 1933. It is above all an intellectual and cultural space where great minds meet. You can’t miss it when you walk along the Promenade des Anglais. The beauty of the palace will not leave you unmoved. Before taking part in this conference, I used to walk past it regularly and couldn’t help admiring the building and its beautiful colours. Inside, you’ll find one of the most beautiful amphitheatres in France, seating up to 550 people!
Who is Thomas d’Ansembourg?
Thomas d’Ansembourg is a former lawyer who practised at the Brussels bar and was also legal advisor to an international company. At the same time, he was a volunteer leader in an association that helped young people facing problems of delinquency, violence and addiction of all kinds…. Following a burn-out, he undertook several years of psychotherapy, which led him on the path to freedom. Following these revelations, he became a psychotherapist himself, eager to free others from their limiting belief systems and their ENFERmements. He developed his skills by becoming an expert in non-violent communication.
A speaker with a full house in a magnificent amphitheatre
“Incredible!” I exclaim!
I was already dazzled by the beauty of the place, which reminded me of the National Assembly, only smaller. I’m in total awe of the old map of Europe, which I find fascinating, and of the ceiling with its planetary symbols.
Lastly, I was stunned to see that the amphitheatre was almost full when I arrived. In other words, almost 550 people were attending a conference on the notion of inner peace. “ I thought there were only going to be 20 of us!” I say to my girlfriend, haha!
A diverse audience
Once I’m seated, I look at all the people to see if I can identify a typical profile of people interested in these personal development topics. In the end, there’s really a mix: as many men as women, with an average age of between 30 and 40. Among these people, I notice a good number of therapists, notebooks in hand, ready to transcribe all the techniques shared by Mr d’Ansembourg. Also, a large majority of the people present here are suffering, even if the majority will not say anything, we will have the opportunity to hear two testimonies during the exchanges of two men expressing with strength and courage their unhappiness and asking for precious advice from Mr d’Ansembourg.
Peace can be learned..
… like maths, football or any other activity. This is the theme of this 1h30 conference. After a beautiful presentation by Monsieur d’Asembourg, the conference began with an introspective exercise in which he asked everyone to relive a memory in which we had experienced inner peace in the past. The whole amphitheatre fell into silence for several minutes. With our eyes closed, we each relive our own personal experience, rediscovering that little bubble of well-being that did us so much good.
For my part, I recall my experience on the Corniche Fleurie, where I was lucky enough to live in an ultra-bright flat overlooking the Col de Vence and the incredible sunsets. This constant light and horizon allowed me to connect with something larger and greater than myself, and so to plunge naturally into an inner peace that would have a profound effect on my perception of life afterwards.
So here we are, all at peace for this conference! We’re off.
Highlights of the conference
- In this conference, we will talk about inner peace, which will condition our ability to create outer peace. While we tend to believe that peace has to fall from the sky, Mr d’Ansembourg insists on the fact that, just like learning to drive, a new language or any other activity, peace can be learned and requires regular practice, patience and listening to oneself.
- Human beings have incredible power to pacify themselves and their relationships with others. They will only really be able to realise this once they have decided to extricate themselves from the ENFERMEMENT in which society imprisons them. In order to achieve this, Thomas d’Ansambourg gives us a few tips, such as nourishing our inner life as much as possible with inspiration and inspiration. He invites us to experiment with life’s experiences in order to learn more about what animates us and what saddens us, and to follow the impulse of life that makes us vibrate at the deepest level.
- We live in a society where fear reigns supreme. You only have to watch the news or social networks to see this. We urgently need to destroy this culture of misfortune and dramatisation that divides us so much, so that we can regain control over our emotions. Let’s work together to prevent this fear, deliberately projected by society, from paralysing us. It’s time to unite and co-create a culture of peace.
- We live in a society where the ego has become the undisputed KING and where the culture of confrontation and relationships of force-domination-submission… are at their height. Who hasn’t wanted to be right in order to flatter their ego? Mr d’Ansembourg teaches us to take a step back, to observe the conditioning in which we are trapped so that we can gradually detach ourselves from it. It’s time people learned to co-create relationships based on collaboration and empathy for the good of the community.
Upcoming lectures at the CUM
You can find all the conferences at the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen for the coming months at this link: https: //www.cum-nice.org/agenda/calendrier
