The iconic traveler traverses life’s path aspiring to arrive at his destination. Along the way, he (1) encounters many frustrations and challenges. Why does the traveler not stop and discontinue his journey – why not make a placid life and forget that ambition, that need? Simply put: he can’t — something drives him on. But there are many days that he himself does not know why he pushes onward. Some force, some hidden resolve, resides in his breast and whips him forward. That power is the belief that, in all men, there is a mission: an intrinsic obligation comprised of something mystical and magical that must be completed before the end. What does that energy want? What is the traveler to uncover? Initially, he cannot fully comprehend his calling, but much like the layers of an onion, each time a piece is peeled away, the underlying flesh is whiter and clearer – an understanding develops.
The new year
New Year’s Day appears in its full exuberance: why do human beings need these benchmarks in time? It has to undoubtedly to do with the fact that we are cyclical creatures. We see magical birth, eventual maturity, ascendance to glory and our final demise as necessary parts of existence – hence the New Year celebrations. This signifies a new beginning, a fresh start. In Western countries, we are exposed to many characterizations of Baby New Year — eventually becoming wizened Father Time. (1) The holiday is an optimistic festival because it produces a powerful pause and the necessary reflection: now what? I recently asked a group of students what would the New Year portend. I was told it would be the same as this year: more tests and yet more homework. This surely is not how I should conceptualize life. Whether I am sixteen or sixty, I must be excited about my life. But then comes the old chestnut. Who is responsible for your life? The answer, rather tragically in many circumstances, is you are.
Passion
Passion: what is it and where do we find it? Simply put: it is an intense emotion that compels us in an exciting direction towards personal discovery and fulfillment. It is an energy, however, that must be individually stimulated and encouraged. But, it cannot be thrust upon a person. Herein lies the problem. As educators, employers, and parents, how do we expose young people to the opportunities that being passionate about something present? This week we read an article entitled “Eight Ways to Discover Your Passion and Live a Life that You Love,” “It is terrifying when you feel like your life has no purpose or direction, but finding your passion can change all that. Finding your passion is like finding your personal road map. When you know what your passion is, you feel motivated, inspired and so much clearer about what your next step should be.” (1) The piece goes on to give us a selection of ways to discover the uniqueness that exists in each of us and hence our personal passion: thoughtful.
Natural kindness
Have you ever noticed that people are naturally kind? Yes, we do encounter the occasional curmudgeon or misanthrope – but in the main, humanity is impressive in its thoughtfulness. Why then are we overwhelmed with the suggestion that the individual is an evil self-centered cur? Sadly we seem to have a flawed gene. We also like to hear of the dirty and the deranged. It is as if each of us as an implicit combination of good and evil. This has been seized upon by the media and hence we occupy the angst-ridden world of today. I always ask myself, if this, however, has to be the case – could we not slowly begin to wean ourselves off the sordid and debauched to something more pure and cerebral?
To your good health
I have always been impressed with good health. It is a concept; however, that is now escaping modern man. “The evolution of fitness over the centuries and the different facets present in our modern physical culture … (ask the question): what have we lost, and what have we gained? Obviously, much good has come out of these recent developments: there’s widespread awareness of the importance of regular exercise, nearly every community has a gym where people can work out, and we understand more about how the human body works and responds to physical training than we ever have before.
A sense of peace
In Western culture, the holy season is upon us. I am overwhelmed with the desire to acquire a sense of peace to be able to connect with my God. To place my consciousness in a state of silence can only be conducive to true mindfulness, to tranquility. It is here that lies the door to infinity — the portal to the answer to life, its meaning and its mission. How many of us have lead fruitless and meaningless lives simply because we have spurned silence – or even worse, have refused to believe that it could be accessed or achieved. The theoretical is always grand and pompous, isn’t it? But, how does one come to this talked about state? Firstly, it is not easy. The virtual void of silence in the world suggests that few desire or, in fact, achieve such a state. We are surrounded by the click and clack of cell phones; the bang and whirr of doors and elevators, and the whoosh and whine of traffic — to enumerate but a few distractions. It is only in that magical climb in the mountains just as the sun is rising that there is anything approximating silence in our modern society. “When you start, you have all the noise in your head … (by the journey’s end) you feel your brain is wider than the sky. You’re a guy being part of this bigness, this greatness. To be alone and experience the silence feels very safe, very meaningful.” (1)
This is not a problem, however, that is unique to our age: “At the beginning of the (19th) century objections to street noise from Times (2) editorials and letter-writers tend to be framed in moral terms. In the latter half of the century, the idea that noise has a special impact on intellectual labour becomes more commonly expressed. This may reflect a rise in a Galtonian (3) form of class consciousness. That is, the belief that social stratification reflects differences in intellectual capacity and that civilised life depends on the most intelligent classes having full freedom of action.
The letters also reveal a great deal about the street sounds of everyday life in London, even when allowing for a degree of exaggeration on the part of their writers.
Attempts to control noise in London go back to local laws in the Middle Ages when clamorous trades involving metal-working were subject to curfews. Street vendors’ cries were often celebrated in poems as emblematic of the city’s commercial spirit, but Hogarth’s 1741 engraving The Enraged Musician (4) shows them interfering with a specific line of work. (5)
As Krishnamurti (1895-1986) so aptly points out, silence must begin with the self – with me. To begin, you must give yourself a good psychological and meditative shower to wash away the exterior detritus of the known or lived life. You must come to the calm you, the natural you, in a place of silence. When you somehow arrive there, in your spiritual nudity, you can begin to discover your true self. You will be afraid, in my estimation, because it is not the perceived you in the world. It may, in fact, be a fortuitous discovery of the exciting self: not the dull and failed self that you believe yourself to be. “We carry about us the burden of what thousands of people have said and the memories of all our misfortunes. To abandon all that is to be alone, and the mind that is alone is not only innocent but young — not in time or age, but young, innocent, alive at whatever age — and only such a mind can see that which is truth and that which is not measurable by words.” (6)
In this way, I will spend a reflective and peaceful time. These are the periods in a person’s life that allow you to accept the past, have gratitude for the present and welcome the future if it comes at all. The writer and academic Norton Juster (b. 1929 ) leaves us with a thought: Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven’t the answer to a question you’ve been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you’re alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully.
A closing thought: Recently, I spoke to a large gathering of young people. At the end of my talk, one young woman came up to me, in tears, to express her gratitude for my words. I was totally flummoxed. I am but the messenger of thoughts and suggestions that are as old as the civilization itself: the idea that the self has value at any age if you choose to develop your special gifts. I felt very humbled, and I reminded myself that guns and swords do not have the power that words do: we must simply think of Tolstoy and Gandhi, as examples.
To sum up: This week we spoke about how to achieve a state of silence.
To be noted: He who knows others is clever; he who knows himself has discernment.
Just for fun: The Well-Tempered Clavier
For reflection: Does God exist?
This week on your inspirational walk, please ponder how to acquire your own special silence.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful
Quote: Write down your thoughts: they give an understanding to the self.
Footnotes:
(1) Erling Kagge, Silence in the Age of Noise (ISBN: 9-7805-255-63-64-8)
(2) The Times
(3) Francis Galton
(5) Street noise and the taming of Victorian London
(6) Krishnamurti, Freedom from the Known (ISBN: 978-1846-042-13-3)
Answers
Is there a God or gods? This is a very difficult question for some. People never seem to question something bigger than the self until, in many cases, it is too late to form a final belief – life providing unexpected intrusions, a quickly occurring finality, for example. I feel, as a sensitive being, however, it is impossible not to question the “why.” Why for everything – for the bugs, the bees, the butterflies, for me, for that matter – just why? There is no empirical (1) answer to this existential question.
Why are you so angry?
Recently on my way to prayer, I was passed by two racing buses. “I didn’t quite catch that, what did you say?” Yes, it is true – two buses were “jockeying for position” down one of our city’s busy thoroughfares. It was a brilliant morning in the process of segueing into an even more beautiful day. The sun was out and, for November, the weather was temperate and comfortable. It was not the kind of morning that promoted frustration and anger. Walking and reflecting were being beckoned, not a call for misplaced justice and one-upmanship. What would produce such vexation, such hostility? The answer – the self — it is me that creates my perception of the world, not the other way round. I have come to observe, however, in my years on this earth that few people know this reality and even less believe it — why?
Thoughts on freedom
Why does it matter and why should I care? The quick and concise answer is, it doesn’t and you shouldn’t. We are, of course, referring to life itself – normally, my life. There is no intrinsic, God-given creed that obligates the individual to care, about anything for that matter. These are learned phenomena that come along with the realization, at some point, that we are free to do whatever we want to do in this existence. One of the great dilemmas we confront when we face this realization, rather sadly, is that we have already obligated ourselves to certain things — to a certain lifestyle. We have by this time placed the chains and shackles on ourselves. We have “a job,” we are in a serious relationship or we are married, we have created other life, we have children, etc. To view it from another perspective, these are the “givens,” (1) that make the fight for me, for my mission in life, worthwhile. I recently spoke with a very large group of young people. When I expressed the idea that each of us is free to discover or uncover that, potentially, raging fire that smolders inside each of us, I was met with the proverbial “stony silence.”
Voyages: a wedding – the return
I awaken early to prepare for my departure. Nothing is ready! This should produce an angst-ridden panic. There is, however, little to assemble – the sojourn to the wedding being so short. My mind begins to wander. What does it take to find your chosen other? What is it — the incomprehensible cosmos, pure unbridled luck or the facility of the Internet? Wait, it is obviously the romantic in me! It should be real, and yet practical, love. Any, initially intense, relationship that endures must be based on this particular emotion. I am convinced that this is the truth. Now to be fair, there are many forms of marriage – some opportunistic, some arranged, some cerebral and, of course, some physical.