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A Moment of Silence
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A Zen Buddhist story tells of a man riding a horse. The horse was running at high speed. A man beside the road, wondering why the rider was in such a hurry, called, "Where are you going?" The rider answered, "I don't know. Ask the horse."
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How many of us in a go-get-it and get-up-and-go society ask ourselves, "Why do I live in such a rush?"
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Hurriedness is not first about what one does or does not do, or how much. The hurried life is first about being hurried, so restless, inside. If you are late for a meeting, for example, you can get dressed quickly while tranquil within. And you can do fast walking with calm, with rest within. Yet, the two - inside and outside - are linked. If we do not slow down and pace ourselves outside, we will soon be restless and running inside.
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In hurrying about here and there, always, what are we hiding from? Could we have forgotten to live otherwise - if we ever knew? Do we even consider a better way to live? Or do we think we have no choice, though we really wish we did? To live as captives to busyness and hurriedness, like rats spinning a wheel round and round and round ..., as though we have no choice, is that sane?
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Speed is antithetical to living deeply. Busying ourselves, we hurry along the surface. In time, we act unconsciously, lost in a get-more, do-more, and produce-more maddening maze, though we normalize the madness of it. We do to appear a doer, proving our worth in a culture of means-to-ends. When given a chance to stop, the body begs for its hurry-high. It takes time to retrain the brain and body to live otherwise.
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Living in a rush - if that is living at all - is not wise or healthy. Manic busyness is missing out on life. Nature teaches us to live at a sensible pace. Nature models the need for frequent respite. Not-doing is as important as doing.
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Things happen within us when we relax and rest, as things happen in the soil between harvesting and planting. We need fallow times, too. Things can awaken within us, when we relax and allow them space to do so.
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Our lives here are brief. In light of that, it would be reasonable to stop frequently, breathe mindfully, smile, and offer gratitude.
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Let us live life as a pilgrimage, unlike a race to the finish line. Life is not about this I do now or need to get to so to do. Life is happening now. Life does not need a doing anything to justify itself - so, you do not either.
But what about using time wisely? Well, first, you cannot use time. Stopping is not a waste of time.
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Taking a mindful break is not really a break or simply preparation to get-to-it again. Stopping is part of a natural rhythm. Breathing models this. When you breathe, on the in-breath, there is a natural stop before the expiration. Living naturally means living wisely in tune with your body and the body of the world around you.
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Many of us humans fear our life ceasing - death. How many, however, live so to enjoy this moment fully? If we are not living fully now, are we living or only existing? This moment is the only time to live, to enjoy, to be thankful, and to love. If we live fully now, there is no room left to fear not living.
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*©Brian K. Wilcox, 2023.
*Use of photography is allowed accompanied by credit given to Brian K. Wilcox and title and place of photograph.
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse.
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