Go placidly amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence… begins one of my literary favorites, Desiderata.
Several years ago I had the unique pleasure of traveling to Israel to visit the Baha’i Holy Shrines on the side of Mt. Carmel and in nearby Bajhi. Internationally known for its beauty and tranquility, visitors are drawn by the thousands from all over the world to witness the beauty of the gardens and the prevailing tranquil spiritual atmosphere where only the songs of the birds can be heard.
When I returned home, I was amazed to find similar tranquility as I sat alone on the enclosed patio of my home, one block off of a main highway, where no sights can be seen other than those of nature and no sounds can be heard but the singing of the birds. Yet it took a trip to Israel for me to fully appreciate it.
Much beauty and tranquility continue to exist in more rural areas of this youthful nation and in the townships and villages of many other countries considered “under or undeveloped.” With “development” however must come developers, a situation that inevitably begets over commercialization and greed, resulting in industrial and commercial rape of the original inhabitants of the land. (I believe the politically correct term for it is “manifest destiny.”)
Speak your truth quietly and clearly, Desiderata continues, and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit…
It appears that such literary treasures, and I are both out of step with the maddening hype of today’s society where words, music and sound effects are constantly blasting at you. Each segment of today’s “freedom-seeking” society, although disrespectful of the other, seems to have one thing in common. They all agree to play by the rules and change them as they go.
In the increasingly fast pace of our daily lives we are finding less time for ourselves, our families or for physical or spiritual nourishment. It may be time to voluntarily slow down (before God slows us down) and Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there is in silence. Create a tranquil corner in your world to which you can systematically retreat and say a prayer or read some inspirational verse. As it provides spiritual nourishment and strength for you perhaps you can occasionally include others, especially the youth and little children who are being sucked in and often pushed into becoming hooked on hype.
“The greatest bestowal in the world of existence is a tranquil heart,” we read in the Baha’i Holy Writings, “and the tranquility of the heart is only gained by living in accord with the Divine Teachings and Exhortations… When a person attains to this station he is content and peaceful. This station is joy succeeded by joy, confidence after confidence and Paradise after Paradise.” Then one can indeed Go placidly amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.
