![]() We often find in silence, in our interior world, just as much noise in our thoughts and feelings as we encounter in the outer world. In fact, Jesus explicitly advises, "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." (Matthew 6:6). The Gospels often mention that Jesus intentionally moved into silence and solitude: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35). The most obvious antidote is to slow down and transition to the inner world from the pull of the demands of the external world. This reflection simply wants to suggest one antidote to the chaotic busyness and the tyranny of the urgent that most of us find ourselves caught up in, both in our personal and professional lives. This short reflection is not an attempt to evaluate busywork versus value work, or to explore the research that maintains we are finite human beings, with finite energy and abilities, attempting to get through a tsunami amount of "stuff," resulting in feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed. ![]() Everybody, everywhere, seems to be busier. If you already are scanning this page and moving on - one of my habits - you may be getting caught up in what novelist Nicholson Baker calls "time's cattle drive." 2 Like a herd, we all are moving faster, uncertain as to why and to where.Īuthor James Gleick's commentary "Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything" covers - timesaving devices that don't measure up, the swiftness of movies and television commercials, grazers who change channels 22 times a minute, all-night banks and drive-in funeral parlors, the place of email and texting in our revved-up work lives, the reverence bestowed upon quick thinking over long-term perspectives, the pressure in the business world to maximize efficiency and save time, and the shrinking realm of reflection and time for silence. ![]() What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.Īsk a few of your colleagues at work, "How are you?" and you almost always will hear, "Very busy," "What a crazy time," "I have never experienced so much change." Although no doubt these comments are true, they reflect a habit and are one of the many symptoms that can taint a work culture with the "tyranny of the urgent." 1 BY: DIARMUID ROONEY, MSPsych, MTS, DSocAdmin
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