Hyper Stimulation Zero

Finding Refuge From Our Addiction to Noise and Busyness to Find Presence

The sun was already blazing in the near cloudless early morning sky. All but a single, lowly shade tree remained as we approached Horseshoe Mesa in the Grand Canyon. We thought it would be the perfect spot for a quick drink and reprieve from the sun before our big climb.

As we stood there, one of the guys asked me if I had any music on my phone. Usually, I clear everything off of it to make room for the pictures I take during the trip. But to my surprise, there was one single song in the queue.

As I pressed play, we all quieted.

In that anticipatory moment, the song Passing Afternoon by Iron and Wine sweetly greeted us. 

There was an overwhelming intimacy I had never fully experienced through a song, almost like never having heard a song before.

There was an acuteness to every sound, to every word sung. There was a simple yet profound appreciation for every note, every melody, every harmony. For four days, the only sounds we heard were of nature- the blowing winds, the rushing waters, the singing of birds, and each other’s voices.

The sounds of busyness and distraction had been silenced. An easing stillness cleansed and refreshed my soul. My appreciation for what I usually take for granted was renewed.

I wasn’t listening to a song as a means to distract myself, as one trying to fill the void of uncomfortable silence, or as one simply consuming to consume. I was fully present and listening, as if for the first time, with deep appreciation.

In a hyper-stimulated world, there is something renewing and refreshing about purposefully removing oneself to find refuge in the stillness and quiet, or intentionally abstaining and then slowing reuniting. It is an essential discipline that reminds us of the resident goodness and simple beauty that we can all too easily take for granted.

It is this kind of intentionality that moves us from a place of endless addiction and mindless consumption to a place of simplicity and beauty, to a place of experiencing and appreciating all things anew.

Question

1. What noise or busyness do you need to regularly “quiet” in your life in order to be more present with yourself, others, and your surroundings?

Peace,

Brandon