When the traffic lights turn red, it is imperative we stop, no matter how fast we may be driving. For a few moments we become bystanders, observers of what is happening around us. If we break the law by cutting the lights, we’ll be in serious trouble. These pauses from time to time keep in check our speed and our haste.
Being able to stop the traffic of overly busy thoughts that are flowing through our minds is equally important. It’s also a pre-requisite if we are to maintain our inner peace, power and sanity. If we continue down the same lane of negative and wasteful thinking, we will either end up in a ‘dead-end street’, or we may have to do a ‘U-turn’, and both experiences will be a waste of time and energy. It is best not to go there!
Stop the traffic of overly busy thoughts to maintain inner peace!
This useful practice is called “traffic control”: taking time out at predetermined intervals to check the rate of thinking and the quality of thoughts and, if necessary, to press the reset button. If it’s possible to take a physical break too, that’s even better. If that’s not possible, then this mental break will bring a lot of benefit.
As each of us presses the pause button on our action-packed life, we are able to keep a check on the direction of our thoughts; we are learning to discipline the mind; we can ensure that we are on track and living our purpose; and we will accumulate energy.
Just as sleep regenerates the body, so too silence, stillness and uiet space revive the soul.
The primary reason for pausing is to rejuvenate the inner self. Just as sleep regenerates the body, so too silence, stillness and quiet space revive the soul. Even in grammar we pause at full stops and commas, which help give meaning to the sentence and the story.
This habit of regular self-checking will draw attention to any incongruity between our thoughts and our actions. For example, we may have the aim not to get angry, and yet, if we do not keep a check on our thoughts, then they can quickly go off on a tangent and we can get caught up in angry feelings.
Create a timetable for yourself and keep an aim to stop for thirty seconds every half-hour, or for a minute every hour or for three minutes every two hours, or all of the above! With smartphones it is easy now to set alarms and download apps that will allow us to play music at any given time.
Pausing or stopping puts everything into context and perspective. As we mentally step away from our worldly chores, we realise that what matters most is our inner world of peace and calm, that inner space that is responsible for creating good feelings and positive vibrations on the outside. If your attitude is negative, is the atmosphere around you likely to be good? But if your attitude is positive, you will create a powerful atmosphere around you. The inside is totally responsible for creating the outside.
If your attitude is positive, you will create a powerful atmosphere around you.
On an even deeper level the pausing reminds us that we are spiritual beings on a human journey. It is this reminder about our true nature as souls that is so, so important. When we experience ourselves as souls, we move away from worry, fear or sorrow but when we identify too strongly with the body, we get trapped in the limitations of the material world… we become, in Madonna’s words, the ‘material girl’ or ‘ material boy!
It’s just a matter of a second, of creating a new habit, of continually pouring oil into the lamp of the soul. By pausing now and then we will not stray too far from positivity: we keep a thread of soul consciousness running throughout our day, which keeps our thoughts and feelings elevated. In this way we begin to weave a better, more positive and peaceful life for ourselves.
It’s just a matter of a second, of creating a new habit, of continually pouring oil into the lamp of the soul.
It’s time… to pause, to reflect and to turn within to check the traffic of our mind.
Check in which direction you are headed.
From It’s Time… by Aruna Ladva © www.arunaladva.org
Brahma Kumaris in Australia
The Brahma Kumaris have had a presence in Australia since 1975. There are centres and class locations in the major cities, as well as three Centres for Spiritual Learning, where courses, classes and retreats are held. Brahma Kumaris Australia is a registered charity in the area of education (spiritual). All programs are offered free of charge as a service to the community. The ongoing operations are funded through donations from students and the public in the spirit of maintaining its educational services for the benefit of all in the community.
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