Power

The power in our office went out yesterday. I went down about 9:30 and we were told it would not come back until 2:00. That is a long time to be without power at work, especially in this day and age when everything we do is on the computer! But something interesting happened without power. Things got very quiet. I mean after the initial angry sounds of disappointment because we could not complete our work... or play on the computers for some! Things were kind of mellow, and very quiet for about 90 minutes until the power came on.

I have been reading the book 'eat, pray, love' by Elizabeth Gilbert (you know before I see the movie.) I am currently reading the pray part of the book, she is talking about her time in India. I happened to have it with me so I pulled it out to read a bit until something happened and I could get more work done. It will not ruin the book to talk about this, she was visiting an Ashram in India and there was a Silence Retreat she was helping with. 100 people came to the Ashram for a silence week. They did not talk for 7 days, rather they contemplated their lives and meditated. But they lived in silence, they made the world around them quiet so they could look inside and listen.

One thing I noticed while the power was out and it was quiet was that only some of us in the office could stand the quiet. 6 (out of 8) salesmen left, 2 (out of 4) office staff pulled out their cell phones and started watching videos or playing games. The quiet seemed deafening to them.

When the power came on at around 11 (like I said, it was only out for about 90 minutes) I could not believe the audible hum that suddenly surrounded me. The lights, 2 printers, a computer monitor, and my computer all turned on with a hum that I am so used to, I did not even realize how loud it is! I found it suddenly distracting.

I cannot claim to have had some overwhelming introspective or spiritual experience because of 90 minutes of no power. But one thing I now do believe is true: Sometimes the physical power needs to go off so we can feel our own internal power or voice. Technology is great, but how reliant on it am I? About a week ago I unplugged my alarm clock in my bedroom. It is now darker in my room and frankly I am sleeping better. Too much modern technology and lighted gadgets, I think, can sometimes block our internal light and inner quiet. I need to listen more to me. It might be time to turn some things off so I can do just that.