“The human perception of time has long been subject to technological revision, and increased speed has often subtly diminished our capacity to appreciate the world around us.”
— Kathleen Norris, author of “The Cloister Walk”
Kathleen Norris recounts her introduction to computers in the 1970s in David Steindl-Rast and Sharon Lebell’s “Music of Silence.” Computers were a marvel, and she was thrilled her work time was reduced remarkably.
Shortly though, she became irritated every time she had to wait even a few seconds for the computer to complete a computation. In a moment of epiphany, she realized what had been a help and a joy was now an expectation that led to exasperation.
Norris recognized the computer had the power to change her in unpleasant ways. She says, “A minute waiting in computer time is no longer than a minute waiting for the sun to rise over the ocean; my perception is what makes them seem different.”
I’m remembering that whenever I’m forced to wait in line or when a conversation takes longer than I think it should. I try to calm myself suggesting I mentally sit down and enjoy the time. Some times are easier than others.
The book “Music of Silence” spoke to my love of quiet and fascination with monastic life. The book describes a day at a monastery where the hours pass not by the clock but by “hours” with defined purpose. The hours adjust through the year like seasons. It makes a lot of sense, but difficult when we all have to work by the hours on the clock.
In my 20s, while working as a retail manager, I went to lunch by the clock and returned an hour later. At some point I decided to disregard my watch and went to lunch when I finished a task. I often was unaware of hunger and accomplished much more without the interruption.
Also, I’ve noticed every time we change our clock with daylight savings time, springing forward and falling back, I get extremely tired until I adjust to the new clock. We no longer know when to eat our meals, which seems awfully silly as we should eat our meals when we normally do, but now the clock has changed all that.
“Music of Silence” teaches that the last hours of the monastic day are called “Compline” which means completion; bringing the day to a proper close.
“Compline connects the end of the day with the end of life itself. It reinforces the theme that the rhythm of our days parallels the rhythm of our life, and the way we live each hour, each day, determines the character of our life. The paced hours teach us how to pace our life.”
Considering the turbulent times we live in … “The option to live in basic trust, to see the universe as the home that God has made for us, or to live in fear and distrust, is ultimately ours. We must choose. And this is the most important choice we make, as we live day by day. If we trust, we will be at peace; if not, we will never be.”
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