As much as I love a good long story, it’s hard to beat the simplicity of a short folklore legend.

If you don’t know, folklore is pretty much a story that has been passed through generations by word of mouth within a community.

It’s usually a story no longer than a few minutes and typically had some type of underlining meaning to it.

You know, the kind of story your grandmother would tell you who heard it from her mother, who heard it from hers, and so on and so forth.

One that I think about a lot refers to appreciation. The kind of story that reminds you to stop focusing on the bad parts of life and focus on the beautiful moments in-between them.

It goes like this:

A long time ago, there was a temple of monks who would teach meditation to whoever wished to learn. One day, a young man approached one of the senior monks and mentioned how he’d been meditating on his own for years, but hasn’t experienced any sense of peace.

Without hesitation, the master handed the young man a bell and asked him to ring it continuously for an hour. And so, the young man took the bell, went to a quiet part of the temple, and started ringing.

Before the hour was up, the young man yelled, “This is pointless!” To his surprise, the master came walking around the corner and said, “Enlightenment is not about loud gestures but the stillness between each ring. Learn to value the pauses, not just the noise.”

We get so caught up in focusing on the loud and obnoxious parts in our lives that we forget about the peace we experience in between them. They’re there, you just need to change your perspective.

The story reminds me of some of Sam Harris’ teachings when it comes to meditation. If you haven’t heard of him, he’s the creator of the meditation app called Waking Up and he constantly reminds you to not beat yourself up if you keep getting distracted during your meditation.

Meditation isn’t about having the ability to sit in silence. It’s about having the ability to take in whatever distractions and thoughts that come your way, being able to accept them, and having the discipline to steer your focus back into the moment.

And just like meditation and the folklore story we read today, life is a lot like this. We shouldn’t expect ourselves to live a life of peace, but a life of ups and downs while learning to appreciate the calm moments in between them.

In other words, value the pauses in your life.

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - I’m now reading A Swim In A Pond In The Rain by George Saunders. A guide on the literary breakdown on classic Russian literature and how to write stories like the greats.

Quote Of The Week - “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” — Pablo Picasso