Enjoying a quiet moment

A quiet stroll be the sea

Meditation

Tranquility

Silent as Night

 

 

An invasion of privacy

Not everyone enjoys being in the spotlight.  Finding a peaceful spot away from the hassle of the modern world  –  somewhere to quietly reflect, meditate and generally sort things out  –  can help soothe the troubled mind.  But too often sounds, lights, schedules etc intrude.  As the poet William Wordsworth wrote, ‘The world is too much with us.’

The figure in the photograph is a small  sculpture of the Weeping Buddha. It is believed by some that the Weeping Buddha takes away the grief and troubles of the world. In return, he bestow peace and provides strength to those who rub his back.

Abstract 320

Abstract 311 ‘Fleeting dreams’

Far from the madding crowd

A quiet corner

Peace in our time

SEASON’S  GREETINGS  to all and especially to regular viewers of this site.  I greatly appreciate your visits and hope you continue to enjoy what you find here.  I wish you good health, happiness and peace in our time.

 

A quiet afternoon by the sea

 

Where shall I place him?

Where to crop and where to place the focal point are decisions crucial to the effectiveness of every photograph, and I readily confess that I am often disappointed with my own previous  choices.

In the case of the Weeping Buddha, below, I have chosen to place the figure towards the lower left corner.  Freed from background clutter and noise, I hope the space behind enhances the atmosphere of meditation, quiet and solitude.

Interestingly, if the figure is transferred to the lower right corner he seems to be facing the world rather than isolating himself  –  praying for a wider community.

Shades of grey …. with a hint of blue

I had toyed with calling this post Fifty Shades of Grey, but the connotations of that title, following the notoriety of the best selling book, would defeat my purpose.

Grey is a much maligned colour, often referred to as dull and drab.  In truth it can be a colour of great subtlety and calm.  Even within the palest shades there can be a quiet, inner vitality.

Calm waters

Yesterday’s ‘Evening’ photo was taken in the Shetland Isles, the most northern part of the UK  –  so far north that in an atlas they usually appear in an inset box to indicate that they are further north than the scale of the page will allow.  Below are three more pictures from the Isles.  They capture an idyllic calm of water, rocks and sky.

Sea watching

There are few things in life more relaxing, more therapeutic, than the rhythm of the sea, especially on an otherwise deserted shore.

See also At the Water’s Edge 2, At the Water’s Edge 5,

Tranquility

When the weather is being obnoxious  –  as during the past two weeks  –  I sometimes take comfort from pictures taken last summer, such as this simple scene from Carbis Bay.  It exudes peace and quiet as the blue sky reflects in the wet sand.

Evening meditation

Evening meditation

The quiet moment

Quiet moment

See also Silence, please!

Silence, please!

We have a friend  –  an attractive, intelligent, caring, fun person.  But she has one ‘fault’ I find irritating  –  and I’m not alone, I’ve seen other raised eyebrows  –  she cannot cope with silence.  The slightest gap in a conversation has to be filled  –  not necessarily meaningfully, just filled.

What is it about silence that many people seem to find threatening?  Do they feel lonely?  Unwanted?  Detached from the world?  Are they afraid of being invaded by their own uncontrollable thoughts?  Are they fearful of other people’s silence  –  what are ‘they’ thinking?

It is true that the world generally is becoming increasingly noisy.  Research carried out at Sheffield Hallam University revealed that the noise level in Sheffield city centre had doubled between 1991 and 2001.  Advances in technology have exacerbated the problem.  In 2010 there were 130 working mobiles for every 100 people in the UK.  It is virtually impossible to escape Muzac in shops, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants.  Whether in the town or a country lane we are bombarded by the loud, throbbing bass emanating from a passing car.

Even in supposedly quiet places, silence is broken by the intrusive text message alert and one-sided mobile phone conversations.  The stifled jangles of pop music escape from MP3 earpieces.  The noise threshhold has risen insidiously.

Of course, there are orchestrated public periods of silence from time to time  –  notably on Remembrance Sunday and at sporting events as a mark of respect for some famous sports personality who has died.  The silence of such large gatherings is often dramatic and moving and one marvels at the unified self-discipline and control of so many people.  But silence is never a vacuum and it would be interesting to be privy to the thoughts and feelings of the individuals within the mass.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, during the first industrial revolution, the poet Wordsworth wrote:
‘The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.’
His words are just as apt for the beginning of the twenty-first century.  We would do well to identify an oasis of silence in our daily routines; a brief period when we can be alone with ourselves.

Let us try an experiment.  For just one minute, close your eyes so that you are relying only on what you hear.  Sit perfectly still and remain totally silent.  Try to remember any sound you hear  –  however quiet or however loud the sound may be  –  but remain perfectly still with your eyes closed.  When the minute is up, open your eyes and try to recall all the different sounds you heard.  Decide their source of origin  –  natural, manufactured, caused by people etc.

Repeat the experiment but this time recall the thoughts that passed through your mind during the silence.

There, now!  That wasn’t at all frightening, was it?  And maybe you enjoyed an experience you don’t regularly find time for.

See also The quiet moment