Image by Ylanite Koppens
Dear friend;
I hold you gently in the quiet of my thought. The stillness tells me clearly that this crisis in your life, which most call a breakdown, is a listening time.
As you told me when we visited a few weeks ago, the pace of your life had become utterly hectic. You’ve become a great success — from the world’s point of view. The world had crowned you, and its praises were like sweet promises that you’d one day own that realm. Then you suddenly woke up one morning to find you had lost the keys to your own inner kingdom.
You are at a crossroads, sensing there are less worldly paths you can follow, paths that feed on profound inner peace, a more encompassing joy, ever-renewed freshness of vision and inspiration, a more rhythmic sense of quiet progression. There is, deep within you, a spring so pure, one cup of its clear waters will refresh you more than all the soda fountains of the world.
The Hour Pressure of Time
For 29 years I lived under the hour by hour pressure of time. Its shadows closed in on me — at work, at home, on outings, at mealtimes, everywhere. Then, one day I decided to abandon all this rushing and running. If I achieved a little less, so be it ! What I achieved would at least be done with joy.
There and then, I composed a little poem to put on my desk:
Spirit of Truth, I thank you
That I have all the time I need
To do all I need to do
Today
Calmly, peacefully
With unhurried grace
Within 24 hours, 29 years of headlong rushing slipped off my shoulders like an old, tattered cloak, because I no longer clutched it around me.
"Being" and Rushing Can Not Coexist
No one can “be” in a hurry; I mean “be” in the sense of living from the center of one’s real inner being. One can either rush — or be. Never both at the same time.
Most people in the West have decided to rush. It does not mean you have to follow the same path. You are the one who chooses. You make for yourself the life you wish to live. So just take possession of your life.
Realize in the stillness of your inner being that, despite any outward chaos, all things have an order. You are a thread in a universal weaving. It is like a Persian rug: on the backside of the rug, strands of wool hang in a mess; there are knots here, knots there — knots everywhere. But from above, what a pattern you see, what order.
Life is Not a Rat Race
This conviction you need is that life is not a rat race or an Olympic marathon, but the gentle, unhurried unfolding of your real being. It is not so much what you do that counts, but who you are.
Dear friend, practice rejoicing and giving thanks. They’re the keys to rejuvenation. I believe all things are given to those who share with rejoicing.
A thought filled with gratitude has no room for self-condemnation or sour reminiscences, feelings of failure, or unsatisfied wants and desires clamoring to be fulfilled. It’s even possible to give thanks for this trial — it can become the stepping stone to unhurried living.
The Seed of Unhurried Living
So, dear friend, rest in the knowledge that this unhurried rhythm is a seed already sown inside you. It needs a little water, some sunshine, and a quiet spot to grow. It needs also your tender care and the gentle virtue of patience.
Finally, and above all, learn to love yourself. This might surprise you, but I believe real self-love is the most needed quality in the world today. If you truly love yourself, you will never be able to hate, resent or feel bitter or envious of another man. You will stop judging and condemning yourself — hence judging and condemning others.
There is in us all a deep sea of calmness.
©2024 by Pierre Pradervand. All Rights Reserved.
Adapted from March 20, 1980 CS Monitor
Book by this Author:
The Gentle Art of Spiritual Discernment
The Gentle Art of Spiritual Discernment: A Guide to Discovering Your Personal Path
by Pierre Pradervand.
In this guide, Pierre Pradervand offers support for those embarking on an authentic spiritual search. He focuses in depth on helping you answer three fundamental questions: Who am I deep down? What am I really looking for in my spiritual quest? What is the deep motivation of my search? He shows how integrity, generosity, and discernment are essential components of any lasting spiritual path.Showing how to cultivate your inner voice and intuition to become your own empowered spiritual authority, this guide reveals how to see more clearly, open your spiritual horizons, and move toward your own unique spiritual path.
This book won a Golden Award in the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards (Better Books for a Better World).
For more info and/or to order this book, For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as an Audiobook and as a Kindle edition.
About The Author
Pierre Pradervand is the author of The Gentle Art of Blessing. His recent book The Gentle Art of Spiritual Discernment is a Golden Award winner in the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards (Better Books for a Better World).
Pierre has worked, travelled and lived in over 40 countries on five continents, and has been leading workshops and teaching the art of blessing for many years, with remarkable responses and transformational results. For over 20 years Pierre has been practicing blessing and collecting testimonies of blessing as a tool for healing the heart, mind, body and soul.
Visit him at GentleArtOfBlessing.org and PierrePradervand.com
