It’s really possible right now to get caught up in the “noise”—the media, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, politics, news—the supply is endless. The cacophony of facts and fabrications can be deafening.
I have decided to limit it to 10 minutes a day in the coming year. Just enough noise to be “knowledgeable”—not totally culturally adrift. I am amused that people actually take it so seriously. I now know—based on my 10 minutes a day—that there is software that is creating “social influencers” who are so believable they have millions of followers.
So, I will continue and probably enhance my morning solitude. I get up every morning between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. (I started that when my son was young because he only slept about four hours a night, and it was the only time I could get anything done). I have about an hour of solitude. The chat room in my head is always so busy—so I need to organize it before the day begins. I meditate, review my purpose and meaning, my goals, and ask for divine guidance.
Life, in many ways, is how we approach what is somewhat incomplete—the next learning, the next new person we meet, the next challenge of time, work demands, aging, children, relatives, the unexpected. We hit “novelty plateaus.” We need to keep learning in order to not stagnate.
My joy and meaning comes from purpose. I can have that in spite of the noise.
