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The Power of Shutting Up and Sitting in Silence
- disqard 8y agoThank you for sharing that. Our awareness of our own attention is quite a "superpower". Harnessing it is a non-trivial matter, but strengthening our muscles requires focused exercise too.
- theDoug 8y ago3400 words about how one person smuggled in a book to read, instant coffee, M&Ms, and champagne-soaked gummy bears, and somehow still half-thought it was _the ashram_ that was "total bullshit."
- travisjungroth 8y agoI read someone describe an isolation tank as boring and pointless. To alleviate the boredom, they would touch their legs "just to have some sort of sensation". They did not seem to understand that they had missed the point.
- hliyan 8y agoAlso, if there were clear benefits, I think the author would have started with an endorsement that is somewhat stronger than, "I think it kind of did [fix something]".
- carlivar 8y agoNot really half-thought. I think she fully thought. She thought half the content was bullshit. "The swamis were right: You and the voice in your head — whatever you want to call it — are pretty much all you have in the end. You have to hang on to it, and listen out for it." This paragraph is near the end. It sounds to me like she got something out if it. I liked the article. Western cynicism or WASP stoicism doesn't completely go away in a week.
- melling 8y ago“All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit quiet in a room alone.”
- watt 8y agoThis always has seemed to me as condemning people who are not introspective enough or introverted enough. "If only we could get rid of these people, all miseries would vanish". Right?
- jplayer01 8y agoWhy do you think you need to be particularly introverted or introspective in order to be able to reflect on yourself? I'd say it doesn't matter what kind of person you are by birth. If you aren't able to reflect on and evaluate your experiences, you're going to end up in places you probably didn't want to end up in or as a person you don't like.
- watt 8y agoNo, the problem I have is saying that "all miseries" come from that and nothing else.
- jplayer01 8y agoIt's not intended to be an ultimate truth of the universe. But the world would be a better place if more people did spend more time thinking about themselves instead of drowning it out with games, music or social media (like plenty of people that I know).
- n4r9 8y agoI don't interpret it as having anything to do with introversion or introspection. You don't have to be either of these to have the desire and ability to sit quietly from time to time (once a week/month). To me, the quotation draws a link between the ability to sit quietly and the condition of being at peace with one's self. Enjoying the mindful act of sitting quietly is a manifestation of such peace, and learning to sit quietly involves tackling ways in which you are not at such peace.
- thecleaner 8y agoDidnt seem to get the point of the article. Does anyone have ideas?