Religions > Atheism > I've finally found that one can find peace by simply being undisturbed.
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Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"V" |
| Date: |
30 Jan 2006 08:26:11 AM |
| Object: |
I've finally found that one can find peace by simply being undisturbed. |
"It took awhile - far too long, really - but I've finally found that
one can find peace by simply being undisturbed."
Yes, Buck, much truth here.
2 old posts on related subjects that allow one to be at peace. Peace is
our birthright, if we are not destroying it by our own actions
Voluntary Solitude
As an offshoot to my simple living work, I now use the practice of
"voluntary solitude" to give me a more peaceful life. The same way I
pick and choose which complexities of living I allow in my life, I now
do the same with noise and commotion. I first learned of this concept
when reading a book by the granddaddy of backpacking Colin Fletcher. He
described the benefits of pure solitude by walking alone. It occurred
to me I was addicted to noise and commotion. I felt like my mind was
going to explode some days. Music and noise kept repeating in my brain
all night and my sleep was fitful. I had the TV blasting all day with
the stock channel or the news or whatever. It didn't matter if I
watched it or not, I just liked the noise. I had the radio or CD going
whenever I was driving. Even on the trail when hiking or biking, I had
on earphones and at the pool a radio blaring. My mind was full of noise
and I could never seem to get any escape with noise even in my sleep.
Once I started with voluntary solitude and shut off the noise, I went
though a period of noise withdrawal for a few days, but gradually could
see things were getting better. Sometimes our peace is disturbed by
other means than noise. I've seen persons going out to be alone in
nature and they bring their computer or paperwork with them. Maybe they
have removed some of the fuel for their stressed life but cannot let go
of it all and must still feed their addiction even while in nature. Be
aware of peace disrupters in your life, irrespective of whether they
make sounds or not. I now am very choosy when it comes to noise
pollution and other disruptions entering me that can be cured by using
solitude, deep quiet and renunciation. When we are quiet within we are
in an easier position to find peace. I've known some people that have a
completely quiet day once per week seeking quiet for their mouth and
speak to no one in addition to seeking quiet for their ears. Other
persons I have talked with just make an effort to lower the volume of
the noise they intake as well as lowering the volume of the noise they
output...lowering their voice. No matter which road you choose, now is
a wonderful time to seek the solitude of nature and practice voluntary
solitude in whatever degree you choose, as the crowds have gone as well
as the distraction of annoying bugs and the leaves are blazing with
their rainbow of colors.
"Everything you own takes a little piece ~ peace of you."
We seldom question if more of a "good thing" is desirable for our
supposed happiness in life. The question, that Voluntary Simplicity
helps answer, is the question of what IS enough so we may be happy
right now in the present. A life of Voluntary Simplicity focuses our
attention on the fact that "everything we own take a little piece ~
peace of us." And in doing so, we can let go of peace and life
destroying rituals and possessions and replace them with a contented,
satisfied and complete life in the present moment instead of a life
that revolves around the next thing to be acquired in hopes of
satisfying our insatiable appetites. Greed is never satisfied by
attainment - it is only satisfied by contentment. This orientation of
conscious thought to simplify ones life in whatever activity the
individual is engaged in is the foundation of success when it comes to
simple living...mindfulness of our direction in life. Voluntary
Simplicity is the tool I use to counter this desire to constantly
expand my life with more complexities, stress and problems and to live
within my comfortable boundaries for a serene life.
Although I started with 12 step programs in 1974 I was not able to
enjoy balanced recovery efforts until I joined the Voluntary Simplicity
or Simple Living movement in 1996. 12 step programs make up about 60%
of my recovery work and 40% of my recovery comes from VS, so
personally, I need that mix for successful recovery. The 12 Step
programs do actually touch on the VS topic, but I could never see it, I
guess it didn't go into enough detail for me. I've read quotes about VS
in the 12 and 12 decades ago, although it is not specifically promoted
or called VS by the program. I just glossed over the quotes until
coming to VS. Once I became super sensitized to VS, these quotes shot
out at me and the recovery picture all came together. Here are a couple
of quotes that can be taken as the 12 Step programs efforts at VS.
.........From page 76 of the 12 & 12 of Alcoholics Anonymous........
"The chief activator of our defects has been a self-centered
fear-primarily that we would lose something we already possessed or
would fail to get something we demanded. Living upon a basis of
unsatisfied demands, we were in a state of continual disturbance and
frustrations. Therefore, no peace was to be had unless we could find a
means of reducing these demands."
End of Quote
I cannot tell you that I have no unsatisfied demands in my life; but, I
will say that since joining the simple living movent my unsatisfied
demands can now be counted on one hand, whereas in my prior life, I
needed a notebook to record them all.
.........Taken from pages 122-125 of the 12 & 12 of Alcoholics
Anonymous.......
"In later life he (the addict) finds that real happiness is not to be
found in just trying to be a number one man, or even a first-rater in
the heartbreaking struggle for money, romance, or self-importance. He
learns that he can be content as long as he plays well whatever cards
life deal him. He's still ambitious, but not absurdly so, because he
can now see and accept actual reality. He is willing to stay right
size.
Still more Wonderful is the feeling that we do not have to be specially
distinguished among our fellows in order to be useful and p happy. Not
many of us can be leaders of prominence, nor do we wish to be. Service,
gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted or
solved with God's help, the knowledge that at home or in the world
outside we are partners in a common effort, the well-understood fact
that in God's sight all human beings are important, the proof that love
freely given surely brings a full return, the certainty that we are no
longer isolated and alone in self-constructed prisons, the surety that
we need no longer be square pegs in round holes but can fit and belong
in God's scheme of things---these are the permanent and legitimate
satisfactions of right living for which no amount of pomp and
circumstance, no heap of material possessions, could possibly be
substitutes. True ambition was not what we thought it was. True
ambition is the deep desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the
grace of God."
End of quote.
I find VS to be a very important state of mind to be in. It shows which
direction a person is pointed in with their life. The same way an
addiction has 3 roads to go down, so it goes with VS. An addict can be
expanding their addiction, freezing their addiction or reducing their
addiction. A person suffering from an overly stressed or complicated
life can be expanding the complications, freezing the complications or
reducing the complications. Thoreau says that we need food, shelter,
fuel and clothes as necessities. In modern times, I will add
transportation to the list depending on your local. Everything else is
pretty much optional. If we have these needs met and are not happy,
then their is no end to our supposed needs for that elusive state of
happiness that we seek. We all seem to have no shortage of supposed
needs or wants as addicts. The problem arises when we have to scale
back and force ourselves as the 12 and 12 says to live "right size" and
our self worth is attached to the idea of looking for inner fulfillment
through outer possessions. Many of us are rebellious when it comes to
scaling back. We only want to go in one direction...more. Life does not
go in one direction no matter how wealthy you are, life is always up
and down. My goal in life prior to joining the VS movement was to get
rich and buy anything I wanted to. My goal now is to live within my
means, comfortably fit within my space and gratefully accept my current
position in life. VS has contributed to this recovery and continues to
do so each day. I make it a practice to wake up with VS, eat lunch with
VS and to go to bed with VS the same way I do with my 12 step program
work and without this constant awareness of how daily decisions affect
my VS or 12 Step program, I'd be back on the road to my prior sick
life.
VS is not about living low, it is about choices and balance. You get
out what you put in with VS. If you do not cut back enough on the
complexities that rob you of living life, then all you have is your
same complex life back that you started with. If you cut out too many
complexities and are unhappy or bored, don't worry, you can always add
them back. We suffer from no shortage of stress and complexities of
living, especially if you have a family. Life gives us plenty of
problems for free. You can even trade the complexities that offer no
reward other than more problems for new complexities that offer rich
rewards or good feelings. For instance, I gave up some of my computer
compulsion time and put that time into yoga class and mediation. I
started with VS in 1996 by canceling some subscriptions to 5 business
newspapers and magazines and pulled out about 50-60 rosebushes that we
could not care for. After that, I saw the beneficial results and kept
at it, questioning everything and experimenting with which complexities
could be removed and which needed to stay in order to live a balanced
life. We make what we want of VS, there are no rules other than if you
do not do enough you do not get any results. There are no VS police to
boss you around and tell you what is right or wrong. We have to decide
this for ourselves as individuals. As I have said before, the program
is the final judge of your success, not you, not me, not anyone else,
whether it be 12 step or VS.
A lady wrote in asking if she could be into VS and still have a gold
chain? Yes, we can have a gold chain, we can even have 10 gold chains
if we please. Can a person have 100 gold chains and still be into VS?
No, I could not say with a straight face I was into VS and own 100 gold
chains. But, the person that has scaled back from owning 1000 gold
chains could definitely say they have applied VS to their lifestyle by
cutting back from 1000 to 100 gold chains. It is all relative and all
up to us and what we wish to derive from our efforts at simplicity.
Another fellow posted how he wanted a canoe, but his wife said he could
not have one and be a VS devotee. It is not up to others to tell us
what we can have - our recovery or VS program will tell us. If the
canoe would comfortably fit within a financial budget, and a person has
the comfortable space required to store it and the object does not
cause a person any undue harm or problems such as maintenance that they
cannot upkeep, legal problems or rob them of time they cannot afford to
give, I see no problem in having it. A person wrote me and asked, "Is
writing your long 5 page post really simple living? " My response was,
"Yes, writing 5 pages or even 5000 pages is vastly superior to living
the old, sick life that I used to live." Critics are all around us and
work to tear down programs instead of building them up. Either our
efforts at simplicity or recovery will promote our peace or destroy our
peace - so put peace first. Always listen to your recovery program
instead of the critics - it has the final say.
Below are some definitions of VS from the book The Circle of Simplicity
~ Andrews.
"For me, voluntary simplicity is living consciously, trying to
eliminate the unnecessary, the superficial clutter. It is trying to
live morally and ethically in the global economy by using less."
"I think that voluntary simplicity as living on purpose, making sure I
have the time to do the things I want to do, not wishing my time away."
"I think voluntary simplicity is being true to yourself, true to the
environment. It's finding that place for every facet of my life and
defining how much is enough. For me it is spiritual."
"It's choosing to enhance one's life by surrounding yourself with what
really brings you fulfillment. It is defining my own standard of
success and prosperity, community and fun."
"Voluntary simplicity is balancing the realities of my life (limited
economics, time and energy) with my values and implementing them into a
lifestyle that is comfortable and rewarding. I think voluntary
simplicity is an "art of living." I believe it is an art to live, to be
true to yourself and to be open to innovation."
An in-depth discussion and clarification of the term "Voluntary
Simplicity" by Philip Slater
All personal solutions to wealth addiction involve one form or another
of what has come to be called Voluntary Simplicity. This doesn't not
necessarily mean going "back to nature" and does not mean living in
poverty and discomfort, although some people may elect forms of
simplicity that would be highly uncomfortable for the rest of us. Above
all, it does not mean forcing yourself to give up something you really
enjoy, out of some pious conviction that it's the "right thing to do."
Voluntary Simplicity merely means trying to rid one's life as much as
possible of material clutter so as to concentrate on more important
things: creativity, human survival and development, community
well-being, play.
The key word in Voluntary Simplicity is "voluntary," which means that
the giving up of the material clutter is not coerced either from the
outside or from the inside. As Andre Vanden Broeck observers, only
those who have experienced affluence are in a position to have a
"choice divorced from need." The poor aren't in a position to make such
a choice-they are stuck with a scarcity that is neither simple nor
voluntary.
Nor is Voluntary Simplicity coerced from within, for to deprive
yourself out of some ideological conviction is merely to feed the Ego
Mafia. The word "simplicity" may have overtones that arouse our
suspicions: a vaguely puritan ring, conjuring up images of drab smocks,
self-righteousness and flagellation. But if this is in the spirit in
which Voluntary Simplicity is embraced the result will most certainly
be noxious.
There is an old Zen story about two monks traveling together who
encounter a nude woman trying to cross a stream. One of them carries
her across, much to the consternation of the other. They continue in
silence for a couple of hours until the second monk can stand it no
longer. "How," he asks "could you expose yourself to such temptation?"
The first monk replies, "I put her down two hours ago. You're still
carrying her."
Addiction is internal; if you experiment sincerely with Voluntary
Simplicity and find yourself still thinking of money and possessions,
your simplicity is a fraud and you might just as well go back to
pursuing wealth until you've had your fill of it. To achieve its goal,
Voluntary simplicity must be undertaken in the spirit, not of
Puritanism or self-flagellation, but out of adventure. All adventurers
throughout history have, after all, been people who abandoned comforts,
possessions, love and security to seek new experiences in faraway
places.
Richard Gregg, who coined the term in 1936, once complained to Gandhi
that while he had no trouble giving up most things, he could not let go
of his books. Gandhi told he shouldn't try: "As long as you derive
inner help and comfort from anything, you should keep it." He pointed
out that if you give things up out of a sense of duty or self-sacrifice
they continue to preoccupy you and clutter your mind. To talk of
"denying oneself" is to use the language of despotism. Simplicity is an
affirmation, not a denial of oneself.
End of quote
V writes:
It is always nice to have our own work confirmed by others that have
gone before us as well as those that follow us. Many years ago I coined
the phrase "Everything you own takes a little piece ~ peace of you." A
couple years ago I came across Richard Gregg's original work on
Voluntary Simplicity penned in 1936 and this is what he said on the
subject of peace disturbance or as he termed it "SIMPLICITY A KIND OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL HYGIENE".
Taken from the original work:
Pendle Hill Essays Number Three
THE VALUE OF VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY
RICHARD B. GREGG
Acting Director of Pendle Hill 1935-36
Chapter X. SIMPLICITY A KIND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HYGIENE
There is one further value to simplicity. It may be regarded as a
mode of psychological hygiene. Just as eating too much is harmful to
the body, even though the quality of all the food eaten is excellent,
so it seems that there may be a limit to the number of things or the
amount of property which a person may own and yet keep himself
psychologically healthy. The possession of many things and of great
wealth creates so many possible choices and decisions to be made every
day that it becomes a nervous strain. Often the choices have to be
narrow. The Russian physiologist, Pavlov, while doing experiments on
conditioned reflexes with dogs, presented one dog with the necessity of
making many choices involving fine discriminations, and the dog
actually had a nervous breakdown and had to be sent away for six
months' rest before he became normal again. Subsequently, American
psychologists, by similar methods, produced neuroses in sheep by
requiring many repetitions of mere inhibition and action; and as
inhibition is an element in all choices, they believe it was that
element which may have caused the neurosis in Pavlov's dog. Of course,
people are more highly organized than dogs and are easily able to weigh
more possibilities and endure more inhibitions and make more choices
and nice distinctions without strain, but nevertheless making decisions
is work and can be overdone.
I'll leave you with a snip of wisdom from Thoreau from his book Walden.
"The twelve labors of Hercules were trifling in comparison with those
which my neighbors have undertaken; for they were only twelve, and had
an end; but I could never see that these men slew or captured any
monster or finished any labor. They had no friend Iolaus to burn with a
hot iron the root of hydra's head, but as soon as one head is crushed,
two spring up."
Take Care,
V (Male)
For free access to my earlier posts on voluntary simplicity, compulsive
spending, debting, compulsive overeating and clutter write:
vfr44@aol.com. Any opinion expressed here is that of my own and is not
the opinion, recommendation or belief of any group or organization.
.
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