Sitting quietly, doing nothing #
Blaise Pascal, 17th century:
All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.1
Researchers, 21st century:
Most men would rather shock themselves than be alone with their thoughts.2
Footnotes:
- From his collection Pensées (Thoughts): "J'ai dit souvent que tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos dans une chambre." Another translation from Pascal's Pensées: "I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber."
- One way to find more joy in silence than in shocks: 10-day Vipassana Meditation retreat
/misc | Jul 04, 2014
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