There is not nearly enough quiet in my life. Practically everyone's experience in the modern world is the noise and hustle of busy. There is far too much bad news concentrated down into constant 20 second sound bites on the news channels. Communication has made so many things better, but it has also made a great number of things far worse.
I can know what some maniac in New Zealand did to innocent people, moments after he accomplish his psychopathic deeds. This is not healthy nor good. This rips the fabric of our peace and lives in such a way that we are forced to participate even if as only observers. Knowledge can be powerfully good, and it also can overwhelm all the quiet and peace that could be present in our lives.
As I get older, I understand that quiet is more and more important to my well-being. So this may not come as a surprise to to you, but I haven't willingly listened to the "news" since 2007. That is 12 years of far more peace and quiet in my life. I also discovered three years ago, that I am an introvert after all! This was a real shock as I had worked most of my life in a profession that demands a charismatic and highly extroverted public face - one that I had been faking for about 30 years. No wonder that I constantly felt drained and exhausted. The energy required to wear that mask all the time was enormous.
Pretty much everyone that means something to me in my life, much prefers this real version of me, over the fake version that I publicly wore. Now I can easily give myself permission to say "no" and to stay out of the limelight and to have the quiet in my life that is necessary for me to thrive best. Americans have a huge affinity for extroverts and busy. But I don't have to be that way. I can choose quiet.
(A good primer on this subject is Susan Cain's book entitled "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can't stop talking")
I can know what some maniac in New Zealand did to innocent people, moments after he accomplish his psychopathic deeds. This is not healthy nor good. This rips the fabric of our peace and lives in such a way that we are forced to participate even if as only observers. Knowledge can be powerfully good, and it also can overwhelm all the quiet and peace that could be present in our lives.
As I get older, I understand that quiet is more and more important to my well-being. So this may not come as a surprise to to you, but I haven't willingly listened to the "news" since 2007. That is 12 years of far more peace and quiet in my life. I also discovered three years ago, that I am an introvert after all! This was a real shock as I had worked most of my life in a profession that demands a charismatic and highly extroverted public face - one that I had been faking for about 30 years. No wonder that I constantly felt drained and exhausted. The energy required to wear that mask all the time was enormous.
Pretty much everyone that means something to me in my life, much prefers this real version of me, over the fake version that I publicly wore. Now I can easily give myself permission to say "no" and to stay out of the limelight and to have the quiet in my life that is necessary for me to thrive best. Americans have a huge affinity for extroverts and busy. But I don't have to be that way. I can choose quiet.
(A good primer on this subject is Susan Cain's book entitled "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can't stop talking")
