Lost places | ||
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A bubble of stimulation
Most people exist in a bubble.
They wake in their own home, get into their car and then go to
work/shops/wherever.
There is seldom any time spent in the fresh air.
Homes, cars and public places are usually filled with noise and stimulation.
Visual images, flickering screens, twittering
voices, gossip... Where is the peace in your life? The stillness?
Quiet
There are quiet places to be found in every city and every town.
You just have to seek them out.
Lost places, where people seldom go.
Leaves overgrown the streets and wildflowers are abundant.
Nature flourishes.
The air is cleaner and there are no cars and few people.
The dark side of the street
Finding quiet places requires some degree of effort.
They may be subject to time, day or season.
You might need to get up very early or stay up very late.
These places can be found.
In order to find these places, you must slow down.
You must want to step off the treadmill,
into the shade and find peace.
Notice things
The first indication of a growing sensibility for quietude lies in your
capacity to notice the world around you.
Instead of driving past in your noisy car, you walk slowly.
You see.
Insignificant-seeming things catch your attention: a butterfly, a leaf, a
flower, the sound of an insect or the call of a bird.
If you experience genuine awe and delight, then you
are learning.
Chattering monkey
If you do not commit time to quiet study and rest, your mind may never know
stillness.
Even in the midst of stunning beauty and peace,
tranquillity will elude you.
Lost
To find lost places you need to become a little
lost yourself.
Not lost in drink, drugs, illusion or stimulation.
Quite the opposite.
You will need your wits about you.
You need to step off the familiar pathways
of your life and walk somewhere different.
Found
There are places to be found everywhere you go. The lack of cars, people and
noise will be your initial clue.
Look for signs of nature.
A feeling of serenity and peace may settle upon you.
Do not panic.
Just stay with it and enjoy.
It refrains from forms of intellectual entanglement, self-regard and affectation in order to discover the unadorned truth of nature.
(Andrew
Juniper)
Page
created 17 April 1996
Last updated
04 May 2023
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