In this age of hustle and conditioning the ones who finally win are those who choose peace. Yes, peace over purpose, peace over policing, peace over points, for if one is peaceful, one is relaxed and relaxing is key to every enjoyment of the moment. Frenzy, frantic, fierce are all great provided they are only but punctuations in an otherwise calm and peaceful canvas of life. Being peaceful comes real easy to a few people and being peaceful is really hard for some, who cant sit still, but even movement can be done with peace, a sure shot ingredient of which is a word that has been showing up really often in my world which is that of S-L-O-W, well traffic signs also give us this word of wisdom, lest we forget. Doing things slowly meant we cant do as much, but then do we want to do much? Isnt less always more, a fact that we have established a lot earlier in the architecture circles, but even now in the might of life. But then doing this slowly does not always mean not getting anything done. Even in Zootopia, the lovely, lovely movie the sloth does all his stuff all in his good time! Fabulous movie by the way I say this as I wait to watch the second part.
This morning on my morning walk, my friend exclaimed how peace is the secret to youth, to sense, to an aura of calm, and choosing peace isnt always easy as it always comes with the pre-conditon of letting go. In order to be peaceful time and again there is a huge component of letting go of the situation and sometimes the way our mind determines the situation ought to be. Peace, slow, calm are words that instill tranquility in our thoughts itself, and there in they may ignite the slow fire in our being. Being peaceful also is tremendously good for our nervous system that ensures that all the involuntary functions are taken care of in the best way possible. Meditation is a way to be peaceful and still, yet there are many ways to ignite peace in us using movement, like Pilates, Yoga, walking, swimming, cycling, and would you be surprised, even ironing! The methodical movement and the straightening up of crinkles that it entails is guaranteed to leave the iron-er extremely peaceful. Am not observing my local dhobi, who seems to always be in a pleasant mood, but is always also gossiping, and hence increasing his stress and perhaps thats why isnt a learned monk yet, though he knows a lot!
But then again the best serum in the world for the skin is peace of mind, the best antidote to stress is peaceful sleep, and the best environment to thrive is a peaceful environment. Even the golden age of Chandragupta Maurya came at a time of peace, when wars were not majorly fought, the age of renaissance also blossomed in the age of peace. Shanti as we say, and pray for the entire universe, solitude, quietness, harmony are all synonyms of this frequency of peace. Peaceful people are also skinnier, since skinny is a byproduct of the golden age of a body, and hence a calm non-inflammed body that isnt fighting. Peaceful people, who are peaceful in and out are not fighting with their minds even, not bending situations with their will are those who thrive sometimes with the best ideas. One can be peaceful as much as one can and though sometimes not, those episodes are better as punctuations of being, the pop of colour in a tranquil setting, that allows the setting to be brighter but not as a continued state. Slowing down is a way to peace, in case you were wondering and I sure hope you read this post slowly! As my friend said, if something is not worth doing slowly, its probably not worth doing at all and my favorite author Donna Tartt said if you aren’t enjoying doing something, you are not doing it slowly enough. Think about this as your car inches slowly in the wonder of the world called Bengaluru (or anywhere for that matter, all cities are the same) traffic!
Vedasri Siddamsetty 