The Story of Running from Nothing

The Story of Running from Nothing

There was once a man who was a very successful professional. He kept projects and tasks going constantly. He was a “mover and a shaker.” He was viewed as successful. When there were moments of silence, he didn’t like that. He saw these times as opportunity and packed in more tasks and more projects. There was not a moment without some kind of action. When he would sit down for meditation, he would experience an unsettledness, and his mind continued to race and his jaw became tense. 

The man had gone to a conference, at which there was a monk speaking of mindfulness and meditation. After the presentation, he spoke to the monk about his experience with meditation and how busy his life was. The monk paused momentarily and smiled saying, “Ah, you are scared of emptiness.” The man quipped, “Nooo, I’m not scared of anything. I’m a pretty accomplished professional.” The monk smiled. They went their separate ways. 

After some time, the man decided to go for a walk in the woods. He contemplated what the monk said. He walked a long distanced until he arrived at an opening. There was a large meadow with a bench. He sat in the bench.

He continued his contemplation of his conversation with the monk. He decided he would “sit with it.” He allowed distractions to come and go with the flying leaves. He became quiet in his mind. He settled into a state of mindfulness. For the first minute, his experience was fruitful. After that,  the silence was deafening. He did not like it. Thoughts began to race through his head. All of his projects and tasks returned. He became frustrated. He stood up to leave and return to the conference. Something told him to sit down and just be with it. 

After some time of being quiet, acknowledging distractions and releasing them, he was able to calm himself and come to a state of peace. Underneath all of this stress anxiety there was a kind of layer of silence. Contrary to his previous belief, he saw that it was not stagnation, and that the emptiness he was seeing was not “void,” It was actually a space to re-identify himself without all the societal roles, tasks and projects attached. He was able to be at peace in the emptiness, in “nothing.” Here he was able to be most comfortable, his true self. 

After some time, he rose refreshed. He stood and returned to the conference center. He ran into his friends there. They commented, “wow you’re so much more relaxed, what’s going on?” He said “I stopped running away from nothing.”

Mindfulness and meditation is growing in popularity. There are some who say we are in the midst of a “great awakening.” This is exciting to think about and be part of. Regardless, the point remains the same. As we allow ourselves to have moments of peace, we are more in tune with our true self. As we explore a Ostate of mindfulness, our decisions are more purposeful. Our interactions are engaging and intentional. Overall, our life experience is balanced and peaceful. This sounds good to me!

(See video below)

https://youtube.com/shorts/tiYs_rSD4L4?si=hGI0_f91Zif2tc8o