Simple Thoughts
Do you ever weary of words?
Last night I spent some time perusing two online magazines, "The Huffington Post" and "Psychology Today."
Mind you, I never read this kind of stuff, but I guess I'd forgotten why, so I ventured in.
I went there because a new friend had blog posts up and I wanted to read her wisdom.
But now I remember why I don't hang out there. (Though her words, in particular, were brilliant, a light in the swamp.)
There were just too many words. Too much jargon and posturing and "listen to me, I'm right," energy all over the place.
Oh, my head just swam after I was done! I felt like I was caught in a pool of floating debris, all of it coming at me.
A conundrum to be sure for
I love words.
I create my life and work through words.
But do you ever weary of them?
Do you ever just long for silence ... for solitude?
For the sound of nothingness?
Perhaps I am getting old
Or jaded.
But a very big part of me wants nothing more than to sit in the silence and listen ...
Just listen.
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16 comments:
Hi Jan .. yes - except of course my own long posts!! But everyone's long posts I battle with - short succinct posts on one topic are great .. but I'm not a good exponent!
I read The Week - which I enjoy .. I used to have the Economist - but now I find that too detailed .... but sometimes I need the in-depth.
I love my peace and quiet .. sans noise of any description .. tip tap of the keys and some songbirds .. suits me down to the ground.. cheers Hilary
I feel that sometimes writers use too many words to make their point; they're not efficient or fail to select words that are sufficiently descriptive so have to use more words than necessary. Kinda like I just did there - lol! So, yes, Jan, I do sometimes weary of words when there are too many of them. Not necessarily when there are a lot of them, though. There can be too many words in a short piece as well as a long piece.
I feel fortunate that I do spend long days in silence and solitude and I enjoy it so much. I feel very content and at peace. We can listen - deep inside - so well in silence.
Hilary - your tip-tap of keys and songbirds description gave me such a happy mental image. ;-)
I do tire of words, words that are not backed by sincerity or emotion of any kind. When people talk on without passion or sincerity it's almost as if they turn into Charlie Brown's teacher to me :) Love the post!
Those sites overwhelm me, too, but because the writers tend to be using words as weapons. And I find that most of what they say is empty posturing. There is no sense that this is their lived authenticity.
Which is why I read here. :)
Hilary,
Thanks for sharing what works for and resonates with you. I am very glad you find your own writing, in depth and detailed, very nourishing for you. I imagine it is for others as well as share the passions you do. (You are a very good writer!) But I also appreciate how you enjoy the contemplative life. :-)
Rose,
I am glad you are able to experience periods of silence and solitude. I'm with you... When I spoke of listening it is to what is inside as well as the gentle sounds around me - or no sound at all. "The sounds of silence," as Simon and Garfunkel sang. Xo
Michele,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. We sound kindred. :-) What you say reminds me of what the Buddha taught about mindful speech. To not waste words or speak just to hear ourselves speak - and not to gossip. I hold this dear to my heart. :-)
Christine,
Oh, so nice to see you here. Like you, I am very sensitive to too much input, noise, light, busyness, so I must choose carefully what I indulge in. Like you, I also have found many many many sites to be energetically oppositional - even argumentative - and even though passionate discourse is good (and I am glad many people enjoy it), it is just not my style...I never enjoyed debate personally. xo
I get very weary of words too, my eyes get tired of them.
I enjoy the "words" of the robins singing in the trees, the sound of the snow crunching under my boots as I walk through the woods, the trickling sap from the maple trees. The words of nature fill my heart this spring. I love the peace that the silence brings me.
Jan,
I've been wondering what's wrong with me. PHEW! So happy to know I'm not alone in this. Even thought I was being snobbish.
Some online magazines really late it on thick with the jargon and pontificating.
I look forward to and enjoy (without a tinge of exhaustion or overwhelm, the online articles/columns by writers who cater to my interests and passion and inspire me ever so succinctly, to think outside my comfortable box, posts by my favorite bloggers and handwritten letters.
I guess we should be honest about what works for us and what our minds and hearts can take in any given moment or generally. Then step/click away from what does not inform our minds, feed our souls and fuel our passion without weighing us down, with words.
On a certain level, we need to keep our lives simple, free of excesses and open to what is necessary, significant and beneficial.
OOOPS!(:O Did I write too many words?
Signed,
Maybe old, jaded or just plain happy with silence and solitude.
I too am longing for silence today...fewer words...yesterday was very loud being out and about...on a day like this even a good book feels overwhelming...so I am enjoying the wind and my family each "doing their own thing" in separate spaces. I guess we all need this kind of quiet day.
Julie, love this, the words of the robins and the whispers of nature. It sounds delightful and well after my own heart. Have a happy spring!
Can you really hear maple syrup sap running?
Cheryl,
I don't think it is being snobbish at all. I think it has everything to do with honoring what our minds/bodies need to feel balanced and well. Stable. Wholesome. Some of us can take more input than others. :-) As a write, I can imagine that you (like me) do need more quiet and less input so we can make room for our own thoughts and process. Guilt be gone!
Laura,
I am very glad to hear that you paid attention to this too and are giving yourself what you need. I have that same sensation too - that sometimes even a book or magazine is too much. Just being with ourselves as we are and allowing room to grow to receive more when we are ready, yes?
I can hear the sap from the maple trees because we have taps in them and the sap runs out into the buckets and I can hear the drips hitting the buckets as I walk through the woods. (About 500 taps this year) It's a great season for maple syrup.
Boy can I relate. It's especially bad the younger the generation. Growing up with so much technology, constantly bombarded with many different sources of information all at once.
I am slowly succeeding at distancing myself from so many words. At reorienting my life, subtracting the sources of infomation that are not important or necessary. It's a slow process, to re-orient myself to quieter habits I had before the computer became like an appendage.
I used to half jokingly say, "One of these days I'm going to end up Amish". Not making fun of them, in fact I revere their culture. The beauty of simplicity...
Julie, that is so lovely to hear. Yes, it must be a very comforting sound. :-)
Coleen,
I can relate. For me, it's more like being a nun. :-) Or living in a monastery. Ha! Yes, it often seems like a generational thing. I do not know how all the "young ones" deal with the bombardment, though I imagine they don't consider it a bombardment at all. :-) We each must find our way...
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