A Peaceful Environment

by Soulful Survivor

Today, we are a culture of overwhelming noise and technology. We are, in essence, overstimulated, overeating, and overstressing because of an almost universal access to technology. The average child spends 8 hours in front of a video game or a computer screen, and we have the nerve to act surprised that childhood obesity and depression have become epidemics???

To begin creating a peaceful environment, turn off the television, radio, computer, XBox, iPod, and other electronic devices that create distractions. This will take some discipline, for we have also become a society that must be spoon-fed our information.

We have been taught that silence means "Alone," and "Alone" is intolerable. Five years ago, my spouse and I chose to turn off the cable - the first step in eliminating background noise, as well as eliminating an outrageous payment for something that brought nothing positive into our lives. In the quiet, we had to re-learn the art of conversation and actually began to COMMUNICATE with one another.

Quiet helps to quiet the soul, once we've become accustomed to it. We can think more clearly without the clutter of background noise, or the audible and visual distractions of the devices. When we can think more clearly, we can actually begin to listen to our inner voice(s). The inner voice can become overwhelming, at times, but we can also teach ourselves how to monitor that voice. We can also learn to tap into the creativity of that inner voice and accomplish things that we never thought were possible while the television was blaring, the computer was printing, and the video games were ruining our eyesight.

With a new-found comfort in silence, we learn that being "alone" doesn't necessarily mean that we are "lonely." We can begin exploring interests in things that, previously, were ignored because we were scheduling our lives around programs, video games, computer chat rooms, etc. We can actually use that time to promote a positive interest.

Quiet is peaceful.......peaceful is helpful to mind, body, and soul. Our homes should be the most peaceful places that we can contrive them to be in this day and age of instant gratification and over-stimulation. Take time to embrace the quiet and make positive changes in your own living space.