Monday, November 11, 2013

Disconnect

10 months ago I spent 10 days on a silent retreat, meditating for 10 hours each day. During that time I was disconnected from the busy world that surrounds me - a chance to slow down, to reflect and to listen. An invitation to visit the here and now.

There's no need to become a monk and move into the woods, but: When was the last time that you didn't go online for a whole day? And to take it even a step further: when was the last time you spent a whole day with your phone switched off?

We seem to feel that we're missing out on something if we're not constantly checking the news, facebook posts and messages on whatsapp. There's so much happening and we want to keep track of everything or else we die! But is it possible to know everything? And is it necessary to always have the latest update on everything? Truth is: if we didn't check our emails and phones for a day or two, we wouldn't miss out on anything. Nothing. Zero.

Speed-reading, checking and answering; calling and scrolling and gossiping – this is exhausting stuff for our minds! So here's a suggestion:

Once in a while, take a day and disconnect from the world around you so that you can connect with the world that lies inside of you. Ignoring all those noisy screens and finding a moment of peace – creating space to simply be!