materializes. If it doesn’t, extend the exercise to eleven
minutes, then twelve, then thirteen... until you find the
length of time you need to ensure that something
interesting will come to mind. The Gaelic phrase for this
state of mind is “quietness without loneliness.”If you invest the time and mental energy, you’ll not only find
what’s interesting (or your next creative project), you’ll find truth.
You’ll find what other people have missed. You’ll find solutions to the
problems we face—whether it’s insight to the logic of the Soviets and
their missiles in Cuba, or how to move your business forward, or how
to make sense of senseless violence.
These are answers that must be fished from the depths. And what
is fishing but slowing down? Being both relaxed and highly attuned
to your environment? And ultimately, catching hold of what lurks
below the surface and reeling it in?