Once a man was riding a galloping\nhorse down a country lane. As the horse and rider thundered past, a farmer standing\nby a gate called out: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Where are you going?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Don\u2019t ask me, ask the horse,\u2019 the\nman yelled as he flashed by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man on horseback stands for the\nperson whose life consists of non-stop activity. Such a person is not free, but\nis a slave to his work. But his problem goes deeper. He is not in control of\nhis life. It\u2019s as if some power has got into him that is driving him along.\nThis is not a good way to live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
People can get so caught up in work\nthat they haven\u2019t a minute for themselves. Activity can become a disease. This\nis a dangerous situation. People can suffer burn-out or breakdown. Generous\npeople are more at risk than selfish people. We need to take care of ourselves.\nIt can\u2019t be all out-put and no in-put. Only by paying careful attention to our\nown physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs can we remain joyful\ngivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most beneficial thing of all is\njust to be motionless as in meditation – without saying or doing anything. Just\nto sit still as one might sit by a fire. This may sound easy, but in practice\nit\u2019s very difficult. Because as soon as we stop, we feel empty, perhaps even\nuseless. Most people get their sense of self-worth from doing. Their value as\npersons depends on their usefulness. They don\u2019t know how to cope with idleness\nand stillness. The result is that their lives can be shallow and superficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, when we immerse\nourselves in the quiet and stillness of solitude, our projects lose their power\nover us, and we experience our true worth, which consist not in doing but in\nbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course this can become a selfish\nthing. It can be a cop-out and an escape. But so too can work. Work can be a\ncop-out from facing life\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can lose ourselves in work. But\nwe can also find ourselves in work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is why we need a lonely place\nin our lives. We need to learn how to combine action and contemplation. Going\naway is not escaping, but leads to re-engagement. There is a time to give and a\ntime to receive. For a healthy life we need to take care of both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Once a man was riding a galloping horse down a country lane. As the horse and rider thundered past, a farmer standing by a gate called out: \u2018Where are you going?\u2019 \u2018Don\u2019t ask me, ask the horse,\u2019 the man yelled as he flashed by. The man on horseback stands for the person whose life consists … <\/p>\n