I meditated upon silence throughout Holy Week. Even took off three days, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, from internet conversation and argument. My mental health and clarity benefited from this sojourn from phony controversy and argument, so I think I'll make a new rule. No internet on Sundays and all other high Holy Days of Obligation.
Anybody can publish and say whatever they want on the internet... and that's a great thing. I did my own little worker ant thing among the hive of techies to make this possible.
The down side is that nobody wants to shut up, nobody wants to listen and nobody wants to edit their speech for brevity or sanity.
I spend most of my time now alone or with my three grandkids, all under the age of 3. They have their priorities in order. They want to laugh and have fun, to play with words for the sheer joy of it and to break down from time to time into tears and hugs.
Political ranting is still far off in the future for them.
I am disengaging in many ways from the external world as I burrow deeper into retirement. Political and social issues that mattered when I was working are now irrelevant to me. Dressing to satisfy the demands of work no longer is of any importance. Whether or not I've bought the latest status tech toy doesn't matter because I don't go to work where people brag competitively about their purchases.
There are good and bad things about this descent into silence, as with anything in life. I'm often quite lonely, and I've become a cranky old fart who isn't much interested in stroking other people's feelings. Well... except for my grandchildren.
Perhaps I am already detaching myself from this world and preparing for my death.
I continue to try to extend the periods of mental silence. I want to see clearly.
It's a shame we'll have to leave this world behind with all its beauty, pleasures, people and places we'll never see or know, and the travails and many heartaches. Every day is a challenge for me to accept all of it in gratitude without obsessions or regrets. I'm not done, though, just trying to conserve energy by not thinking myself to death.
Your doodle is intriguing. Many of the symbols resonate with me. I like the way you embedded the musical rests. Also the almighty and perpetually silent tree.
Posted by: Dad Bones | Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 07:39 AM