I was having dinner with a couple friends and we talked about some current events, the drama involved and what we thought about it. I told them about this quote which seemed to fit well into our conversation. There is a reason those who reach longevity in their lives, professions, and personal spaces can usually be found living quiet lives.
We then talked about the mixed messages we receive all the time between social media, the news, from people, and most media outlets. It is the drama, pain and strife that makes the news or gets ‘likes’. Conversations seems to energize when discussing the mess in someone else’s life in some form or fashion, as if talking about their drama makes us feel better. In reality we all have drama, it is how we choose to feed it or ignore it that either fuels or lets it fade.
If you examine the people who are achieving, working towards a goal and have found something they want to do with their time, they usually live quiet lives. Their energy and time is invested in their goals, work and dreams which leaves very little time for drama, let alone energy to get involved in someone else’s mess. These apparently “boring” people are the ones that survive the traumas of life through wisdom, patience and giving themselves the space to process in quiet times. They understand that you cannot serve two masters. Our time, our choices, our lives are full enough without having to keep up with everyone else’s situations. This does not mean they do not care, it means they are disciplined and focused enough to help, love, and enjoy being with people without getting tangled into something they have no power to change. We work very hard to “have it all” which usually brings with it drama and strife.
I hear people struggle with wondering how everyone else has it all. “How do they do it?” I hear this question a lot. If they ask me what I think I let them know the secret, no one has it all. NO ONE! That is not a negative statement it is a glimpse into the reality that we live the lives we have not the ones the media and internet project. Everyone has paid a price for their current life, they have worked hard and chosen to get what they have. Those who say or appear to have it all are usually leaving out the things they wish were in their lives – better relationships, more love, more joy, more time with family. Good and wise people know that having it all comes at a price, usually one they are not willing to pay. We cannot serve two masters, peaceful lives do not contain self created drama…and drama filled lives are usually not quiet and peaceful.
As we left our dinner we were all thankful to be self aware enough to know what we want and how to get it AND how to keep the drama at bay. We were also very thankful to have friends willing to listen to us muse through it all. Life is hard enough without generating problems and strife. Choosing to live a quiet life is a very good thing, ask the peaceful people around you how they do it, they will quietly tell you their truth.
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