Why Modern Consciousness Has Lost Its Connection to Stillness
The trouble our modern civilization has is that we find it hard to stay still. Stillness appears suspicious. Rest evokes guilt.
In the modern world, the meaning of exhaustion is synonymous with the superhero act of being productive.
Every fear calls for an urgent response. Every doubt causes overthinking. As if the mind is solving problems in the same way as a drowning man would try to grab on to a piece of wood that floats in the water to feel secure. This continuous process makes the problem worse.
Force magnifies resistance.
When the mind is troubled, it cannot embody clarity. A turbulent mind cannot clearly see, hear, or feel. You can’t find clarity when you’re trapped in panic. That’s why the greatest clarity and insight come when there is no battle in the mind while walking alone, in the shower, in bed, or meditating. The mind lets go. And reality is heard.
In Taoist philosophy, it was known as Wu Wei, or action without forcing. Mystical Christianity ventured into the same space through the act of surrender. In some Eastern traditions, stillness was considered a higher type of intelligence that could not be found in the restless mind. Modern productivity culture would rule them out because stillness doesn’t pay off easily.
The tragedy changes from being physical to becoming psychological. The individual becomes addicted to the need for stimulation because silence exposes his identity’s wounds. Delayed grief becomes conscious. He comes to know that he did many things out of fear, not because of their meaning.
This battle shakes the ego.
But in this disturbance, there lies a transformation. When the nervous system is out of survival mode, it reorganizes itself. Perception regains depth. Thought acquires coherence again. There’s a difference between being still and being passive. It is a disciplined receptivity.
After turbulence, a river becomes clear. Human consciousness experiences the same process. When there is no internal violence, there’s clarity. The greatest wisdom of man is often born when the need to impose control on reality fails.
Culture has taught us to value the spirit of speed. Culture, however, has deprived us of our ability to contemplate. One of the most extreme acts that could possibly occur in this century is the act of silence, the act of remaining silent for long enough to hear the reality beyond our own words.