Be Calm
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Be Calm
Be Calm
Life seems to be lived at a frantic pace, everything has to be done, and everything has to be done now. It was, not so very long ago, that the attention span of a human being was considered to be twenty minutes. Recent figures say that now the attention span of a child is down to fifteen. Teachers have now to prepare lessons keeping this in mind, changing the activity more frequently than before to allow them to hold the students' attention.
In sharp contrast, Lao Tzu tells us that nothing good is achieved from rushing around. A simple statistic seems to give some support to this. When the speed limit on motorways was reduced by ten miles an hour there was almost an instant drop in the number of deaths on the roads.
We gain so much more when we take life at a slower and simpler pace. How can the mind be fed and inspired by the beauty of life around us, if we are in too much of a rush to see and take it in? How can we learn from one another if we do not take time to truly get to know those who surround us? With great difficulty. These are the very essence of what makes and keeps us creative.
The quality of friendship is enhanced when we take the time to share and pay attention to each other. Can this be done if while we are sitting together, we turn attention to somebody else who is making contact on a cell phone?
Relationships of quality build inner security which in turn enables us to concentrate on the things we do and create bringing a deeper sense of achievement. It is from the everyday moments of intercourse with people and nature that our achievements are born.
When life is lived at a great rate of knots, we easily end up with a great many, "nots." Things are not done. Matters are not completed to the best of our ability. Mountains are made out of molehills. Failing to pay attention frequently results not going well and problems arising. Stress takes hold and illness visits.
The Tao Te Ching tells us to stay calm, to treat each other with dignity, and attend to small things before they become large problems.
This is the way of Tao.
In sharp contrast, Lao Tzu tells us that nothing good is achieved from rushing around. A simple statistic seems to give some support to this. When the speed limit on motorways was reduced by ten miles an hour there was almost an instant drop in the number of deaths on the roads.
We gain so much more when we take life at a slower and simpler pace. How can the mind be fed and inspired by the beauty of life around us, if we are in too much of a rush to see and take it in? How can we learn from one another if we do not take time to truly get to know those who surround us? With great difficulty. These are the very essence of what makes and keeps us creative.
The quality of friendship is enhanced when we take the time to share and pay attention to each other. Can this be done if while we are sitting together, we turn attention to somebody else who is making contact on a cell phone?
Relationships of quality build inner security which in turn enables us to concentrate on the things we do and create bringing a deeper sense of achievement. It is from the everyday moments of intercourse with people and nature that our achievements are born.
When life is lived at a great rate of knots, we easily end up with a great many, "nots." Things are not done. Matters are not completed to the best of our ability. Mountains are made out of molehills. Failing to pay attention frequently results not going well and problems arising. Stress takes hold and illness visits.
The Tao Te Ching tells us to stay calm, to treat each other with dignity, and attend to small things before they become large problems.
This is the way of Tao.
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