Doing Nothing

Doing nothing is an almost heretical act in a world that seems to worship at the altar of busyness. I remain something of an sceptic and as such I think it advisable to have fallow spaces in our life for doing very little. When we have time to experience the nourishing quiet of solitude, we notice more easily how life expresses itself in us. We are granted an opportunity to become less oblivious making us more reliable and accurate communicators of the contents of our hearts and minds, especially when it comes to using this intelligence for orienting ourselves to a more subtle, attuned way of being in the world. Enter the arts of meditation and contemplation.

Meditation is a practice we undertake supported by openness, compassion and a commitment to suspending judgement––meaning we set aside what we think we already know about ourselves and the rest of the world, which is not an easy task after being conditioned to defensively react with judgements of one kind or another to almost everything. This simple suspension makes room for emptiness and an ultimately welcome (if humbling) acquaintance with one’s own ignorance. This can sometimes be challenging, as crucibles are wont to be, or very calm and tranquil like a light summer wind on a very warm day. It’s essentially a voluntary attunement to one’s inner life and relationship to the world that can invoke a stronger sense of belonging, ease, and quiet joy.

Contemplative practices, in my experience, are a very natural, intuitive approach for deepening the way we relate to ourselves and the world around us, softening our edges, expanding our sense of relatedness and fortifying our capacity for kindness. Solitude and quiet are essential. It is important to note, however, that this doesn’t always have to mean sitting still for long periods of time, though I often do. One’s own contemplative practice could include journaling, painting, walking, crocheting, sketching, or gardening.

Which is to say, more open, steady states of mind can be experienced via any number of activities. Sitting quietly is an obvious choice as there are fewer outside distractions, but the central idea of all this is to inhabit the way one practices in a manner that fosters ease and gentle reflection. A sense of renewal emerges within such quiet and solitude.

Even if for five minutes, give yourself permission to be, and let things be.

Love and courage.

Simplicity

A major contributor to artless living is moving in the direction of making our lives a little simpler. Towards this end, we will inevitably need to do some curating in almost every domain of our lives, on an ongoing basis, as in the living of life we inevitably end up accumulating things. So, becoming a good curator is one of the key skills we develop in the process of the ebbing and flowing of an artless life.

In Leonard Koren’s lovely little book, Wabi Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers, I discovered some words of wisdom that have guided me in my efforts to curate well. When it comes to simplifying he says, “Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry.” Which is to say, we don’t want to neglect the needs of our soul in a bid for freedom of the spirit. Beauty is also germane.

Let’s begin with simpler relationships. When it comes to curating the social domain, many of us are guilty of neglect. So, I’d like to offer some encouragement for more carefully tending this most important and central part of our life. We should be mindful about the toll we pay by safeguarding relationships with people who have a detrimental effect on our emotional and mental wellbeing. We deal with them because they are there, but living a simpler life means taking a more sober look at this domain of our life and doing what we can to curate a social life that is more firmly rooted in mutual respect, reciprocity and kindness. Simpler relationships with simpler people.

Another neglected area may be our relationship to time. One of the great things about meditation is that it slows down, expands and deepens our sense of time. Being right here, immersing one’s self in the immediacy of now doesn’t stop time, but it does help deepen our experience of life. We notice more, feel more, and appreciate more. It also helps us pause and give a little more thought to how we’re spending the time we have. Sometimes it’s easy to fall into complacency, engage automatic pilot and sleep walk mindlessly through the busyness and noise of our life. Becoming more conscious is essential, for it allows us to connect with the world in a deeper, more authentic and fulfilling way. A simpler relationship to time emerges when we give ourselves large swathes of time for doing very little. For this is where the seeds of peace and presence and prosperity have a tendency to germinate and take root.

I have not made any comment on simplifying life by editing our things, save for Leonard Koren’s general advice. This is because there is a lot of information already out there on this subject, and because I think that simplifying for someone who is more of a minimalist is going to look different than for those more predisposed to maximalism. In both cases artless living is relevant, however simplifying will necessarily and delightfully reveal itself in different ways. There isn’t only one right way to do this.

Tend your garden in a way that brings a greater sense of quiet joy into the world, whatever your personal style. We need to trust ourselves and keep faith with the life inside us.

Love and courage.