My Search for Stillness

Finding stillness in the midst of the frenetic lives that we often find ourselves living in, may seem like an insurmountable challenge. Our day to day work commitments, our family and hobbies for example are fuelled by that little thing known as time. The clock ticks by the second and minute by minute creeps up on us. The more we look at our watches, the more stressed we get. Most of us have experienced times when we’ve become one with what we are doing, when time has stood still and we truly danced with life. This is what i was in search of.

Being 21 is truly an interesting time in my life. Since January, i’ve been searching for that moment where i can denote solitude bliss in whatever it is i’m doing. On a daily basis i research articles on how to be happy, budgeting, learning to cope with depression and financial stress, what anxiety means, ways to being healthy and so on. Its taken a long time to realise it but nevertheless, the underlying message: everything takes time, so go with the flow and don’t rush. The sun shines through eventually on a rainy, cloudy day and that’s what the message is.

There are numerous amounts of articles out there to help us slow down our busy lives and denote a calm approach. Suggestions of exercise, planning and positivity through self affirmations are all examples in the search for stillness. But whats the first step? Being happy with who you are. Its important to understand that feeling sad, alone, helpless, depressed and confused are feelings detrimental to our general well-being and to our overall happiness. The bad feelings we encounter may occur on a daily basis, or continue for a few months at a time and as bad as they may feel, these feelings demonstrate how great happiness is and feeling ‘good.’ It might take a while, but we get there in the end through a little bit of help.
As human beings, we are our own worst enemy and we should “strive to be a first rate version of ourselves not a second rate version of someone else” - Judy Garland. Although its great to have a hero and uphold someone else’s ideals, morals and values, its important to understand and shape our own.

At times, we feel trapped due to society’s view on how we should lead our lives. There are stand alone morals and values up held by those who believe in them, and then there’s those that not everyone agrees with. Philosophy “love of wisdom” is an interesting subject that comes to mind here. It is “the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language,”  and generally consists of a systematic approach relying on rational argument. I read philosophy because it demonstrates a link between what human beings thought from ancient history and what they think now. At times, the same opinions apply and are altered only slightly due to our modern eras idealism.  

Discovering our passions and what we love to do most is important in the search for stillness, and in our first steps to happiness. Last week, i was fortunate enough to volunteer at Australia zoo as an assistant to the keepers in 5 different departments. I was surrounded by passionate people full of excitement and enthusiasm for the animals they were caring for. From scrubbing, weeding and raking of the grounds to food preparation, to exhibit design and enrichment, this gave me a buzz. Passionate as i am for turtles and elephants alone, volunteering gave me an invaluable insight into what id like to achieve in the future.

The past few months i’ve been racking my brain and trying to wrap my head around everything i want to do and schedule it so i can do everything. What i’ve realised? Take each day as it comes, and fill the day with small goals that eventually lead to bigger goals. My search for stillness is ongoing but i feel happy and alive around animals and learning about these amazing creatures that inhabit our world. The next step? Continue to build my knowledge database, face my fears and always be honest.