“Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still”
-T. S. Eliot (“Ash Wednesday”)
So often we crave stillness. We long to step out of the maelstrom of our emotions where we swing from passionate, angry caring to defiant, indignant not caring. The reasons for these emotions get buried in the fury of the moment. Moving through caring to not caring, we can, if we allow ourselves, come to a neutral place, a place of stillness. A place of mental calm and quiet. When we let the sediment of our emotions sink to the bottom of the pool, we discover clarity. Out of this clarity comes the possibility of finding truth. Out of this truth comes the possibility of choosing a different way of being.
Stillness is available to all of us. Discovering stillness takes commitment and a clear intention of why it is important to us. It takes practice.
The late Irish poet, John O’Donahue, begins his poem, For Presence, thus:
“Awaken to the mystery of being here
And enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.”
Allow yourself to discover “the quiet immensity” of your own presence.
Get Started:
Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer
