Too Much Information

Do you ever feel like we know too much? Sometimes, I just want to shield myself from my computer screen, from the radio, from the television and the cell phone, and the constant bombardment of the Internet. Is there a place to go to get away from it all? To run? To hide? Is there some way to create a block or barricade that simply says “Do Not Enter”?

            Ultimately, I believe the answer is no. You can run, but you can’t hide, as the saying goes. Sooner or later, even if you refuse to watch TV (as I do), the facts, the news, and particularly the bad news are going to catch up with you. There is no lasting cocoon, so man up or woman up, because when push comes to shove you are going to have to open your eyes and look at what is here, there, and everywhere.

            That said, I believe there is one place left where we can be safe, silent, and protected at least for a time: Within. When I steal away from the real world to meditate—if only for ten minutes—I experience a sense of inner calm. If we could teach children everywhere to do this I believe we would have a different world. If we could teach people to connect to silence every day, to turn off all their gadgets and screens, we might be able to hear our own voices (and I don’ t mean the crazy ones!). I mean the voice of the self that so desperately yearns to be heard.

            Is this just loony yoga-speak? I don’t think so. Science points more and more to the benefits of meditation. Quieting the mind, it turns out, is actually good for the brain (one Kundalini yoga meditation has been linked to a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s).

            I am not a religious individual in the traditional sense by any stretch of the imagination. But a moment of prayer is not such a bad idea. In fact, I think ten minutes of silence or meditation could really change, and possibly save some lives. The energy and hum of human beings living their lives is a beautiful thing. But so is the silence…if we can only find it.