Nature Does Not Hurry

Nature Does Not Hurry

Lately, I have observed that I am caught in the chaos of compulsive busyness, behaving more like a hamster running around a wheel going nowhere than a soul capable of fulfilling a higher purpose. I move through my days at a faster and faster pace, which in effect, relegates self-remembering and presence – displaced by hurrying and distractions – to something I vow to “do” once I am finished with my busy schedule. I imagine all sorts of things I need to do which gives me the illusion of importance in life. And, of course, that finished busy schedule never ends.

The moving center in man is designed to give him the illusion of life. — The Teacher

A properly functioning Moving Center is remarkable. The fingers type or play a musical instrument; hands and arms wave for a taxi or conduct an orchestra; legs walk to our workplace, run a marathon or dance a ballet; lips smile, frown, or grimace and communicate emotions; noses twitch with an itch; feet control the gas and brake pedals in vehicles or skate on a frozen pond, just to mention a few examples. In addition, some manifestations of the Moving Center are surprising and less obvious such as measuring spatial relationships, unnecessary talk, and gesticulation. Much of the time, many of these actions happen without any attention or awareness.

Try to avoid unconscious acting in the moving center. — The Teacher

To use the Moving Center as an alarm clock for self-remembering, it is crucial that we change something about the habitual way it moves. Repetitive movements over many years lull us to sleep and simply trying to observe a habit without changing it in some way will not be a loud enough alarm to wake us up, even if just for a brief moment.

Hurrying or being constantly busy can be worked with by slowing some aspects of our movements down. Take smaller steps when walking, plan to arrive at engagements early so the need for hurrying is lessened, set a goal not to be distracted by others and make more intentional efforts not to engage in unnecessary talk or excessive gesticulation.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ― Lao Tzu

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The Tortoise Trainer, Osman Hamdi Bey