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Today's
Meditation:
It's
kind of funny that every generation sees the world's
condition as more complex, fast-paced, busy,
unfriendly. Some of the words that we read from
hundreds or even thousands of years ago could have been
written by someone today who's distressed by the hectic
lifestyles that we live and the number of obligations that
we all have.
The
writer of these words, though, is well aware of the most
important personal response to what goes on in our
lives. We don't need to make our lives more complex if
we want to get the most out of life. In fact, the
"joyful simplicities" are more likely to give us
peace and comfort than are the many, many things available
to us every day. We don't need to read every paper and
see every newscast to hear the same news over and
over. We don't need the most expensive car with the
most complex toys. We don't need to fill our lives
with meetings and clubs and committees.
We
do need peace, though, if we're to maintain our physical and
emotional and mental health. And peace can be found
only in the simple things-- a walk in the forest, a good book
on a rainy day, nice music by the fireplace, a good cup of
coffee or tea and plenty of time to drink it and enjoy
it. Spending time with a friend or a family member
(without actually doing anything), or even sitting
quietly by oneself doing nothing-- all are ways of helping to
strengthen the peace that lives inside of us, but that we
ignore so much.
In
a world that encourages us to make our lives more complex,
there's much to be said for simplicity. And most of
what can be said works to our benefit, if only we give it
the chance to be a major part of our lives rather than just
an afterthought.
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