Rest and be restless.
“Come to me all you who are tired and overburdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)
We are always tired—physically, psychically, and spiritually. Rest has become a commodity. Energy drinks, bars, and other things keep us alert and awake. All the while, we are asleep.
Our bodies are machines that produce effects and outcomes and without these consequential productions they have no value. Our minds serve the purposes that they have been outlined for by the apocalyptic overtones of politics, superstition, and popular culture.
We stay “on” with power-buttons that control our technological limbs—including this computer you are reading. We cannot risk being “off.” There is no value in rest. We fear the alienation of being alone with things turned off.
Because of this, and other things too, we do not experience true restlessness.
We do not rest because if we do we would face the deep longing for eternal rest, for God. If we abstained from the constant awakeness and went from “on” to “off”—if we sat down, turned-off the lights, computer, phone, television, radio, and everything else—we would encounter the mystery we find in rest: the enchanting restlessness of the human desire for love.
Rest and be restless.
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Our world is filled with constant noise too…the TV or radio on in the background to fill up our audiotory space and to pack our minds.
On one hand, I do not feel right in bringing this up… our parish has a small chapel for silent adoration. I stopped by one evening for some silent prayer, for some quiet time, though when I entered there was a prayer group there in song and in vocal prayer.
Call me selfish or uncharitable, but I left upset after a few minutes because I really wanted quiet around me for some prayer. Maybe this example is not a good one on this issue but why the need for almost constant sound to fill our surroundings?
“We do not rest because if we do we would face the deep longing for eternal rest, for God.”
Exactly. And why is it that we don’t want to face that? Why is it that we don’t, in fact, even want to face ourselves, through choosing solitude and contemplation over constant distraction and frenetic activity?
Sam, thank you for this reflection. You might find the book “Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology” to be a great read. This guy and his wife go to live with some conservative Amish types who don’t use machines (apparently a lot of Amish use propane-powered machines). Check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Better-Off-Flipping-Switch-Technology/dp/0060570040
Nate – I’m reading that book now. :)
Maybe you could post a reflection on it when you’re done. I liked it a lot. The guy actually lives pretty close to me, and makes soap, which is hilarious, because I’ve got this wild-idea of starting a Saint Louis Soap Cooperative.