Pico Iyer: The Art of Stillness

So tell me what role stillness plays in your life.

For me, it's a, y- y- you know, some of the things that you talk about in The Art of Stillness, I was very proud of myself, 'cause I already do.

I mean, I, I, it's a, it's just a rule with me, no matter where I am, in what city, I get in a car, the driver meets you at the airport, immediately I have the radio turned off, because I don't want other people's extemporaneous noise-

Yeah

... just interfering with, with, with what I call my own personal vibration.

So.

Yes, yes.

I like to choose whatever I want to enter into the space.

And now there's so much noise, and so much distraction.

And now there's so much, yes.

[laughs] Uh, I, you know, there's this new field called interruption science, and they've found it takes the average human being almost 25 minutes to recover from a phone call.

But the average human being gets a interruption every 11 minutes now, so we're never caught up, unless we consciously turn off the radio, as you said, or just try to catch a breath.

And I've realized the big luxury for so many people now is just a little blank space in the calendar every day where you, uh, collect yourself, I suppose.

So when you ask what stillness gives to me, I'd say it's sanity, and it's balance, and it's a chance to put things in perspective.

And then we can come back to our lives with much more, well, kindness, and purpose, and clarity.

So are you talking about meditation?

People I really admire and respect, probably including you, do meditate.

I've been a bit too lazy to have a meditation practice.

[laughs]

But I do things just like you were describing.

Um, when I'm at the health club, I try not to watch the TV.

When I get into my car, I try to use that as in turn off the radio, as you did.

Mm-hmm.

When I'm waiting for my wife to come home from work, and I don't know if it'll be one hour or two hours, I used to scroll through my emails.

Then I thought, "Just turn off all the lights and listen to some music." And I noticed I was so much fresher when I heard her footsteps on the stairs and said hello.