I used to live very close to a tropical beach and at night, I would sit there alone, listening to the crashing waves and watch the caps glisten in the moonlight. It would take my thoughts and quiet my mind, giving me a rare space of mental peace. Watching fires and listening to the crackle gives me that same peaceful space and I can lose myself, yet be aware of all of the details that are happening around me. It is like focusing on the breath during meditation and then having an expanded interface to the immediate world.
At the pace at which the world runs and the speed of the stream of information flow, it might be hard for many people to find the space to quiet the mind these days. I think that in the past, we were forced into taking a moment, as the lights went out, there were no screens and a little flame was the only light we might have had before it would go out, and the stars are all that's left.
I wonder if we were calmer in general in the past, because we were able to have that space and I wonder if part of the reason petty violence is so high, is because we no longer take the time to quiet our minds and our frustration leaks out of us. It is also perhaps why so many turn to other forms of distraction, like alcohol and drugs. It might also explain why so many of us find it hard to switch off, as it means we will have to face that space, that calm of mind where we are unsure what will arrive.
I was speaking to a friend the other day about this and she mentioned that she has come to fear the silence in some way, as her mental gears start to whir and her psyche gets to work. She was saying how it gets in and start to undermine her, picks at her like a cruel parent, preying on the insecurities of an immature mind. She knows that it lies, but she can't silence the voice, she can't convince it that it is wrong about her. Convince herself.
That voice inside is compelling, as it has our sound and claims to know our past, because it was always there beside us - observing and listening, collecting and cataloging our fears, so as to remind us of them in that silence - to question our decisions and actions and make us feel inadequate, over and over again. While we might want to avoid the silence so that we don't hear the voice, perhaps making the space and listening until there is nothing left but silence, is the only way to burn it.
Until another log is thrown on the fire.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]