Theos-Talk Archives (October 2000 Message tt00110)

I think meditation is becoming more and more a necessity for our
today's life. We are all above the age of 20 I would presume on
this list.

I noticed something amongst youngsters. They spend lesser and
lesser time at any place where they are supposed be "motionless".
I did not grow up all that long ago. But when I was young boy, I
had to play that role at various occassions. For example, to
visit my grandma once a week. This was a place hardly anyone
spoke, as she was ill. I had to stay quiet. Sit in a chair, and
behave like a statue. It was the decent/appropriate way to
behave. Casually she would smile, pat on my cheek, or kiss my
palms. But there were few things which I did not quite experience
anywhere else (till much later)..... lack of motion, absolute
silence, a thick air of serenity/calmness not of strictness but
love/affection/care, even if the number of people in the room was
over 15. I was never the ideal boy either, this same kid who
smashed a car doing over 80 miles when he was not even 14. The
variety of experience was there in my life. Being from a typical
public-service/academic family (middle class), my mother had to
put an effort to replace the car, which still hurts me.

How often does a person today ever experience silence? Imagine
how many children have grown up recently who have never known how
to "not do anything".

I once tired something with a young boy of 17, my neighbour's
son. I drive him to town sometimes if on my way. I always have my
windows up and music going with various loudness, mostly
classics/classical. He has done it with me many times. It is very
quiet in my car. Once just out of a whim, I turned the stereo
off. I watched him with the corner of my eye. He knows me far to
well, almost a family member, and there is no reason for him to
be nervous. 1 minute, first he tried to wind the window down,
stopped ..remembered I don't like it, then his hands stretched
towards the stereo, paused and stopped, I pretened not to notice,
just kept driving. Then he started to tap on his knees with his
finger-tips. I broke the silence, "all okay with you at school?".
He replied "Yep". Felt a bit relieved. I stopped talking and gave
him no chance to open another conversation. I know I was
wicked...:))... 10 minutes, he was getting restless, trying to
breathe cautiously. After that I thought "enough". Asked him to
turn the radio on and tune it to his station, the song came on
was "Message in a bottle" by Police. Not something his type, he
is far too young for POLICE, I said with enthusiasm.."hey one of
my era songs".. I turned it up really high. And watched him
carefully, you would have thought someone just had rescued him
from certain death. I was cruel.:))

Later I spoke of it to one of my elderly friends she is 78. She
laughed and said things which we both considered jokes.. but are
they really? Her speech was ..

"Kids today hardly have a rest, they either work hard at school,
or the bad ones do something else never stopping, the movies are
full of over-action, TV commercials are filled with boom boom
sound in the back, everyone talks so loud if not screaming. Their
icons are all that type too. They are becoming so hyperactive,
have you noticed, how many children take those tonic drinks
Lucazade and things? Or even the fizzy things with artificial
sugar. Soon they will all turn zombies.( she laughed aloud) My
grandchildren are all in their 20's, they work hard, they are all
workaholic, which my childrens call 'good children'. What is so
good about it? They work hard, they think very little of anyting
but money to buy things and the weekend they party and nothing
else. I don't think they could name a classic novel. I don't
think they go to greenpeace movement because they are really
concerned, they do it more for the fashion. It is not about being
naughtly, I was more mischeavious in my early life than any of
these children, their life is so chaotically 'monotoned'. Or am
I being the old lady with her regular scratched record? (she
laughed again)"