Haste - A negative action.

"Be like a stone in the stream."

  Today's topic in the "Classroom of Silence." Haste as a negative action. Driving into work today, I started this inner discourse on the topic of haste. How it is really a negative action or actions rooted in selfishness. Some would argue along the lines of "If we get this done faster, we'll have more free time to do things we WANT to do." Still basically a selfish endeavor. We do many things we want/need to do, driven our or others want or need to do something at an escalated pace, in their timeline. Your boss may want to push a deadline up, telling you to work faster to meet that. So you then have to "hurry up" in order to meet someone else’s want/need. Even on the road, many people are rushing about like rats in the maze looking for the treat at the end. Again, the hastening towards the food is in of itself a self-serving desire. "I need to get to work quick, so I can hurry up on my advanced deadline on the project I am working on. Then, I need to rush home, stopping for fast food, so I catch the game on TV."

So to combat these negative actions, I offer a couple bits of wisdom that I've found thereabouts. The first one is something I was taught when I went to truck driving school. "Be like a stone in the stream." Explained as, maintain your speed in your lane and allow traffic to move about you. Do not try to alter the flow. The second thought is attributed to Sydney Harris “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” Some believe that "Busy" is a badge of honor, that your status increases by doing so much that is not owned by you. The last quote is from Confucius, who said "If you sit by the river long enough, your enemies will float on by." Back then, that on the surface was meant as real human enemies. Here, I like to use it metaphorically. Your "enemies" are also meant as intangible items, such as haste, worry, anxiety, fear.

In the middle of the "rat race" that is our modern culture, when the "hurry up" is upon us, stop. Breathe, make room in our lives for the things we enjoy and the people we love. BE the stone in the stream, and let your "enemies" float on by. Be in the moment.

Namaste.

Enlightenment the Poem.

Enlightenment the Poem


Having followed yet another path to enlightenment,

I find myself at the same endless river, knowledge.

Standing on its shore, I contemplate stepping in.

Letting it guide me to another shore, another path.

Meditations on Silence

وَاْحِدٌ
Some people have wondered why I'm so quiet these days. Why don't I voice an opinion anymore. Wether it be for their issue, conversation, or even myself. The answer to that has taken a long time for me to get to. Like Alan Jackson's "Long Hard Road" song, the line "It's been a long, hard road I'm traveling on." is dead on. Indeed it has been! Being of a logical mind and upbringing, it used to be that offering advise to someone, wether asked for or not was not always the best approach. People truly only want to hear what they WANT to hear, not what is necessarily best (in my opinion). So I've had to take a step back from these situations and consider other angles and circumstances that may apply to the individual.

اِثْنَاْنِ

Silence has seemed to be a better approach to being a good listener, and, to be a better communicator when it actually comes down to speaking. As the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said "..say what is good, or be silent." - Al-Adab al-Mufrad Al-Bukhari 7, 102. Having the time to really HEAR what is being said, then internalizing it in a Zen kind of fashion has made a significant change in my personal interactions. I'd like to say that a combination of my spiritual journey and atheist upbringing, along with studying at the school of hard knocks has brought me to where I am now mentally.


ثلاثة
Patience coupled with silence has been beneficial as well. As I mentioned before, I would readily offer my nickels worth of free advice, and get rather heated if you didn't "see the light" if you will. To expound upon that, I believed that I had the answers, or could get them and fix everything and everyone. Without looking at the REALLY big picture. How other things can play out, impact upon people that weren't even initially involved. Even to this day I must exercise great restraint to avoid hurting someone emotionally, or to get caught up in the moment and lose sight of what I'm receiving. A Gift.  Of Knowledge. Of Trust. Commonality in Humanity, and even a connection with the spiritual world.


أربعة
Another key to this mindset has been solitude. Knowing when and where to practice it. I've always been a lone wolf type, preferring to be alone instead of in the company of others. Nowadays, I'm able to have the separation of solitude, comfortable silence, listening mode, and true interaction. Starting with being in my center, being still, a stone in a stream. I am able to anchor myself, and also be an anchor for others. If I am not still and quiet and patient and grounded, I may be swept away by the current of emotions and information..maybe even pick sides. And that goes back to the beginning of this, where I don't want to cast my lot in with what I may feel or think is right. And not give passage to things that are unseen.


 خمسة
 There are times when I feel like a hollow rock, taking in some things through osmosis. So at times I get full of emotions and thoughts, frustrations and joys. My own and those of others. When I get to that point, I have to find a release. Otherwise it starts to fester, and poison my Qi. When it leaks out, I am seen as irritable. Thankfully after all these years of practice, I notice it before someone gets immolated. But I have to find a release to avoid that, although I still haven't found a good one. Leaving me sullen and angry, impatient and insatiable. Something to help me to return to my center, my peace.

  
  ستة
 So to circle back upon the idea of these (and the title) concepts, I have enjoyed the outcome of my journey thus far. The road may be long and filled with potholes and detours, but I have arrived here. In a rather serene state of mind and possibly better character. 

That's All folks. Be good to each other and remember..BREATHE first before anything else. Namaste!