Can You Sit Quietly ?
June 11, 2022
Sometime in the 1600s, French Mathematician Blaise Pascal said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” That he said it 300 years back suggests that dealing with an active mind has been a common challenge for humanity through the ages.
Most of us suffer from the fear of silence and boredom, and we choose distraction and company to deal with this fear. We embrace distraction so we won’t have to grapple with the barrage of thoughts and emotions that bounce around in our heads when we are on our own. We essentially dread solitude.
Technology has connected us with everything around us, people, gadgets, and places. But the more we are getting connected, the more isolated we are also becoming. We now live in a world connected to everything except ourselves. No wonder many experience a pervasive sense of anxiety as if something is missing.
As we enter the weekend, it may be a good idea to take some time away from the unfinished work, the news, the social media, the computer games, the family, the books, the TV shows, and the chores. Instead, be with yourself and embrace the discomfort of your anxieties, distractions, thoughts, ideas, and issues. Don’t give your monkey mind the company of any distraction-let it play with itself.
Can you sit quitely and embrace your solitude ?
