Religious Scholar

We really are busy, restless creatures. Bodies always in movement, brains constantly generating new ideas in an ever-shifting database of thoughts, information and images. Even in sleep, the human machine is hard at work, the individual mind races, creates, reflects.

And that is as it should be. Life is protean: a process not a thing. Out of the mind’s questioning turbulence come solutions, from the mundane (“Let's go out for dinner") to the sublime (“An Ode to Joy: yes!”). We need our restless lives, but the world’s spiritual traditions tell us we need something more: a calm center to nourish new ideas and to restore and connect us to each other and to the very Source of all existence.

Every major religion has practices that encourage periods of stillness, of listening. These include practicing the presence of God, yoga, tai chi, meditation, wordless prayer, contemplation of nature. These aren’t intended to turn us into fence-posts or automatons. They help us break through the mental clutter and get to the core of things.

Just as we can’t grasp another person’s point of view if we are wrapped up in ourselves and our own arguments, so we can’t figure out what’s going on in our minds and in the world at large without stopping the noise and listening with alert attention. Regular periods of stillness help us open up, see, comprehend. Then we’re ready to return to the fray with more energy, understanding and wisdom.

There’s an eye in the storm, and time-tested spiritual practices can help us find it.