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productivity, and some thoughts on wisdom in the age of information.
#Ted the art of stillness how to
Complement it with Alan Watts on happiness and how to live with presence, Rebecca Solnit’s magnificent field guide to getting lost, Annie Dillard on presence vs. In 2013, Pico Iyer gave a blockbuster TED Talk. The Art of Stillness, which comes from TED Books, is a wonderful read in its entirety. Ultimately, Iyer shows that, in this age of constant movement and connectedness, perhaps staying in one place is a more exciting prospect, and a greater necessity than ever before. The Art of Stillness paints a picture of why so many-from Marcel Proust to Mahatma Gandhi to Emily Dickinson-have found richness in stillness.
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Growing trends like observing an "Internet Sabbath"-turning off online connections from Friday night to Monday morning-highlight how increasingly desperate many of us are to unplug and bring stillness into our lives.
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But we live in a madly accelerating world, where new technologies for all their benefits are making our lives more crowded, more chaotic and noisier than ever. So it might sound counterintuitive that we would release a book about the need to unplug. These aren't New Age fads so much as ways to rediscover the wisdom of an earlier age. The Art of Stillness in an age of distraction. To Iyer, it’s this time for quiet, inward, still reflection that snaps all of our experiences into focus. He reflects that this is perhaps the reason why many people-even those with no religious commitment-seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or seeking silent retreats. In his TED Book, The Art of Stillness, Pico Iyer posits a bold idea: that in our chaotic time, the greatest luxury is actually the ability to go nowhere and do nothing. Iyer also draws on his own experiences as a travel writer to explore why advances in technology are making us more likely to retreat. In The Art of Stillness-a TED Books release-Iyer investigate the lives of people who have made a life seeking stillness: from Matthieu Ricard, a Frenchman with a PhD in molecular biology who left a promising scientific career to become a Tibetan monk, to revered singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, who traded the pleasures of the senses for several years of living the near-silent life of meditation as a Zen monk. There's never been a greater need to slow down, tune out and give ourselves permission to be still. Why might a lifelong traveler like Pico Iyer, who has journeyed from Easter Island to Ethiopia, Cuba to Kathmandu, think that sitting quietly in a room might be the ultimate adventure? Because in our madly accelerating world, our lives are crowded, chaotic and noisy.
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There is even a growing trend toward observing an "Internet sabbath" every week, turning off online connections from Friday night to Monday morning, so as to try to revive those ancient customs known as family meals and conversation. The Art of Stillness paints a picture of why so manyfrom Marcel Proust to Mahatma Ghandi to Emily Dickinsonhave found richness in stillness. These aren't New Age fads so much as ways to connect with what could be called the wisdom of an earlier age. In both The Art of Stillnessand his captivating TEDTALK Where is Home?, Iyer reflects that this is perhaps the reason why more and more people - even those with no religious commitment - seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi. He explores the counter-intuitive truth: the more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug. Through his extensive interviews with creative geniuses of our day, as well as historical records and his own life experience, acclaimed author Pico Iyer paints a picture of why so many have found such richness in stillness and how - from Marcel Proust to Blaise Pascal to Phillipe Starck - they've gathered such rare and exhilarating fruits there. In this age of constant movement and connectedness, when so many of us are all over the place, perhaps staying in one place - and locating everything we need for peace and happiness there - is a more exciting prospect, and a greater necessity than ever before. Part of the TED series: The Art of Stillness