All of men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone
Blaise Pascal
Many of us will do just about anything to avoid a state of boredom. Alone in an empty room staring into the ceiling and doing nothing but examining our thoughts seems dreadful. Faced with this situation we quickly turn to our mobile phones scrolling aimlessly, browse the internet or watch television.
Any distraction will suffice to avoid boredom.
We pride ourselves on outward achievement, on constantly having something to do. Consequently, being busy has become a status symbol in our culture. It demonstrates to others that you are important and have achieved some level of success.
However, not all cultures think of this matter with the same perspective. Eastern philosophies emphasize the importance of introspection and stillness. The practice of meditation asks us to sit alone with the contents of our mind and thoroughly examine them. In doing so, we can watch what emerges.
Are we acting on our impulses?
Are we processing our emotions?
Are we thinking through our actions and goals?
The answer is not retreating from society in a Buddhist monastery, but rather incorporating the practice of stillness in our day to day lives. To be frank, not everything is as urgent as we think. We don’t have to respond to many of our text messages or social media notifications immediately. Things can wait.
Modern day society constantly fills our minds with information 24/7, and it is unsustainable to think we can consume it all.
So today, spend some time with nothing but you and your mind – in stillness.
A Life of Virtue: Philosophy as a Way of Life 
Thank you for reminding us!
LikeLike
Lovely word Andrew – hardly anything is as urgent as we think. In the modern age I would argue it’s imperative we set aside the time to be still – to completely disconnect. That we have to make that time in the modern age! Wishing you and yours well Andrew 🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, I try to spend some time without any technology in stillness every week.
Hope you are doing well:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice post on an important subject, Andrew. Are you OK if I reblog it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
thank you for reading, I am glad you enjoyed it:) And, for sure you can, much appreciated it!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on I can't believe it! and commented:
In this post Andrew reminds us of the value of stillness, the clear mind, the insight into our own inner being. This is how we avoid the constant distraction of the modern world and its insistent demands on our thoughts and attention.
LikeLike
Thank you, Andrew, for this much needed reminder. Personally, I find the term ‘busy’ to be a form of defeatism; it indicates that the individual has little control over their lives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, I’ll be writing a series on leisure soon… stay tuned
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wrote a post a while ago about “The power of stillness” !
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will check it out:)!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely
LikeLiked by 1 person
The quote is fabulous and so true.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stillness is so simple, yet so difficult
LikeLike
Reblogged this on A Life of Virtue: Philosophy as a Way of Life and commented:
You can now listen to this post in audio form in the link in the bottom of the article
LikeLike