Peace

I was sitting in a space of tranquility at home, a little earlier, reminiscing an old past time at University some years ago...sitting beside a gently flowing river on a warm summers afternoon..all would be peaceful..calm..the world I am in now is so far away from that place..that time..

Sitting beside this river I would listen to the soft hum of dragon flies buzzing by coupled with the rustling of leaves on trees around..in harmony with the flow of water..never ending, moving. on and on...peaceful...the almighty sun shining onto me its golden light infusing my being with its heat, its passion, its awsome power...

That is an aspect of Nature and I believe that we all are part and parcel of the entire flow of nature, its ebbing and fowing and subsiding on and on and on forever.

Have you ever experienced this peace.. perhaps you have walked your dog on a trail somewhere or went fishing or rock climbing...you can almost feel at one with it all and then along with it comes this satisfaction of not wanting..needing anything..as all you have ever wanted..needed is all around you, with you.. and then you notice this awesome silence all around you ..within you and a stillness inside you signalling a gentle contentment with your life.

Fast forward a couple of years later and I find myself living amidst the hustle and bustle of a booming metropolis throbbing with the vibrancy of millions of hopes and dreams of people and people and more people, of machines and towers so far up, they touch the sky..

If you're a city boy or girl whatever your age, have you ever paused to notice the constant chatter or people around you, the incessant noises of this century- doorbells, cellphones, engines, music, on and on... surely this is nature too, man-made though it may be...

Have you ever wondered how mother nature accommodates us no matter how much we try to re-create a machinistic, artificial environment borne of our own vision of what a perfect world should be? Mother gives and gives, she doesnt complain, but tirelessly gives no matter how much we take from her. Why she even sends forth little shrubs in any available garden path or sidewalk not covered by stone or concrete..wind between the crowded alleyways, rainwater to cool the heat of vehicle engines or to wash away the toxic fumes of exhaust...evidence of Her unconditional love of giving, right before us and all around us...

How can anyone say there is no love in this world?

It is said that the answer to many of life's problems lie in going back to the natural order of things, accepting nature becoming part of it, less chatter..less noise...simplicity..peace..

How often do we try and turn down the radio or tv constantly on for background noise, just to sit or lie in the quiet of that particular moment? Silence does tend to make one somewhat uncomfortable and that is because we have lost touch with what it sounds like. The sound of silence is not just a sound in my opinion but an overwhelming surge of getting back to our roots..a state of tranquility which soothes the harshest migranes, the deepest heartbreak, the lowest disappointment...it takes you to a place of familiarity...it is something you know of..or knew..a place you have visited before..but where..when...you cant quite place it..yet..

Try it dear reader as I have, it is truly beautiful, it is almost like replenishing, re-invigorating something inside. The Mind with its neverending thinking..planning...lost in all our yesterdays and tomorrows..it could do with a break sometime...quiet time..my time..your time...shhh
Its never easy the first time, but it is worth the efffort..

I love this story:

One day Sheikh Nasruddin and his three friends decided to spend 3 days in silence and meditation. All four gentlemen sat in a circle in Nasruddin's house silently meditating or reading or praying and the hours of the first day passed by and soon it was nightime..the room was dark and the silence was so thick, you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly one of the friends had an idea and decided it would be easier to be quiet if there was some light in the room. So looking around he spotted a servant passing by in the corridor and gently whispered :
" Hey boy light the evening lamps for us all."
The boy responded "Sir I cannot hear you speak up."
The man said it louder this time around and then said " I cannot talk so dont ask me to repeat my self!"
The second man looked with irritation at the first man and said "You stupid donkey, cant you stay quiet like me???"
The third man then said "Will you two buffoons be quiet, I took an oath of silence, cant you follow it like I do?"

Finaly Nasruddin raised his hands upwards and said" Oh praise be to me, you weak-minded nincompoops, I am the only one who can keep silent!"

Till next time, let's spread a lot of love and a whole lot of peace..