5 Steps to Real Peace and Quiet
The world is too much with us,” William Wordsworth wrote in the early 1800s, an idea that’s even more applicable to us today. The noise of traffic, the roar of planes, the sounds of television and radio, the ringing of telephones, and our often frenzied activities in both our social and business life emphasise how much “the world” is crowding into our everyday lives.
As a balance, we each need some quiet in our day. We need to shut out exterior noises so we can seek spiritual enrichment. In quietness, we free our creativity, uncover our true thoughts, pinpoint our strengths and weaknesses and, perhaps, overcome the latter. In the stillness, our thoughts will flow freely, if given the chance.
Many people complain that they’re “too busy” to make room in their daily lives for quiet times. But we can create the space in several ways:
1. Get up earlier. You’ll find that a morning meditation gives you a good start for the day. It becomes your solid foundation. You may have seen a toy, a roly-poly little man, who is heavier at the bottom than at the top. Whenever someone tries to push him over, he always springs back, returning to an upright position. In the same way, meditation can be a spiritual ballast. With a solid foundation whatever happens during the day, however troublesome, cannot hold you down.
2. Don’t strive so hard for perfection. Accept your limitations of time and energy, and don’t try to do everything in one day. Sometimes your own self-demands can spoil a potential quiet time. By learning to put an active agenda on hold for a while, you can encourage a peaceful silence. Be willing to accomplish a little less in the outer so you will have more time for the inner.
3. Limit television viewing and radio time. TV is one of the biggest and most insidious usurpers of quiet time. Keep track of your viewing habits for a week or two. You may be surprised at the number of hours spent in front of the TV. If you have one or two favourite programs watch them, then turn off the set. You will likely gain several hours per week for quietude and more worthwhile pursuits.
4. Take a warm bath. Immersed in the warm water, let your thoughts drift and your body unwind. Here, you can retreat from the concerns and problems of the day, and “just be.”
5. Choose soothing pastimes. A walk in the bush or on the beach, for instance, often refreshes and restores. Companionable silence with nature refreshes and restores. Listening to soft background music is another way of relaxing, encouraging an inner quietness. Also, visiting your local library will provide you with a tranquil atmosphere in which to read or just to sit and think. Seek out spare-time diversions that give you true recreation of body and mind.
Quietness is not only an outer condition. It is also an inner condition. The mind plays a large part in the quest for quietness. You may be in ideal surroundings. Perhaps you are sitting on the shore, of a calm, lovely lake. But if you are mentally rehashing an earlier argument, your mind and spirit are in turmoil. Or, you may be riding in a noisy city bus. If you can block out the noise and focus on peaceful inner thoughts, you will have quietness in spite of outer conditions.
Quietness is not easily attained in today’s world. However, to create segments of quiet by thoughtful planning is possible—and necessary—to our well-being. While we cannot stay on such an inner mountaintop, we can experience moments of mountaintop quiet and serenity by seeking and incorporating them into our daily lives.
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This is an extract from June 2005
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