I recently saw an article that talked about restlessness. The article promised advice from Kathleen Norris. Immediately, I knew what the topic was and how she would provide some insight. I have read a great deal of Norris’ work. She is a poet and writer on spirituality. One of her earliest books, Dakota, talked about space, landscape and the like. Then followed the book that probably made her famous, The Cloister Walk. This book recounted the two times she spent at a Theological Institute which is part of St. John’s Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Minnesota. That is a great book and one I still use in classes.
I know Kathleen personally. In fact, I was able to entice her to my campus some years ago to offer a couple lectures and speak with a panel of students I put together. She is a fascinating woman with a great mind. People loved her. Even then, she had been thinking about acedia, the fancy Greek word which has been translated as restlessness. She later came out with a book called, Acedia. I have studied early Christian history, so I already knew about this concept from the early monks. Monks almost always had to deal with this issue early in their monastic formation. Get yourself off alone and strange things start happening. Good intentions dry up and sometimes we simply don’t want to do anything. Or we get restless with the structure we set up to accomplish what we intended. We would rather go back to the craziness of the world.
The writer of the article interviewed Norris from her Honolulu home. The first thing Norris shared comes out of our own crazy times. She said, “Millions of Americans are forced to be hermits and live a monastic life…” And even those who are not cooped up---the health workers, grocery store workers, etc. are not dealing with normality.
The author of the article, Peter Feuerherd comments knowingly when he says, “For the ancient monks, acedia was defined as a sense of restlessness, spiritual unease and an urge to escape the harsh routines of monastic life. It was considered a deadly sin, numbing those who succumb to it to access to God's love and the fruits of the spiritual life.” While I am sure in today’s world many would attribute the unease to psychological restlessness (and I don’t deny that), I do believe there is much about spirituality (and religion) that is in play. This likely is true even for those who claim not to be spiritual.
Spirituality offers us a way to think about and formulate our own views of major life issues---things like meaning, purpose, belonging and love. These are more than psychological things to be worked out. All of us know the tug to escape these harsh realities of our world---with the looming physical threat, economic deterioration and the like. The world does seem to be going to hell in a handbasket and we don’t like it. We are uneasy, maybe even fearful.
I like Norris’ observation when she suggests, “In today's crisis, the experience of isolation can aggravate feelings of acedia, often confused with the more modern description of depression. But there are differences.” Also she recognizes that acedia can lead to some nasty stuff. “When acedia strikes, it creates an urge to lash out. ‘It's the feeling of being totally bored and totally restless. It's a horrible combination…’”
Norris offers some advice, which squares with some of what we hear from psychologists. Get some structure---some routine. She also notes, “Take a shower and wash your hair every day. Little items of grooming, when neglected, can create a "feeling of 'Why bother?” This is a good one; it would not have occurred to me to tell people to take a shower! Humorously, she also tells us to have enough chocolate on hand!
She shared that she says the recites the Lord’s Prayer when she washes her hands. I think that is better than Happy Birthday! When monks experienced the malady of acedia, or restlessness, they were tempted to flee---run away. Many of us are feeling this same temptation. But Norris rightly recognizes, “There is no place to run to. That is one of the hardest things for us.”
Kathleen does a wonderful job of assuring this feeling is normal and something we can constructively deal with. It need not drive us crazy. Her tips are quite helpful in the daily coping that crazy times demand. I will simply add that this is a great time to do some soul-searching and go deeper into life. Perhaps that is the opposite of restlessness or boredom. Instead of looking for distraction, be willing to sit with yourself and let your soul speak.
Maybe this sounds like a hokey platitude. It is a way of suggesting we might actually make this period of time pay off. It is almost a way of beating the system. We come out more grounded, stronger and clear about ourselves and life. We become more confident and feel like we can make sense of whatever comes our way.
Seems like a better alternative to restlessness.
I know Kathleen personally. In fact, I was able to entice her to my campus some years ago to offer a couple lectures and speak with a panel of students I put together. She is a fascinating woman with a great mind. People loved her. Even then, she had been thinking about acedia, the fancy Greek word which has been translated as restlessness. She later came out with a book called, Acedia. I have studied early Christian history, so I already knew about this concept from the early monks. Monks almost always had to deal with this issue early in their monastic formation. Get yourself off alone and strange things start happening. Good intentions dry up and sometimes we simply don’t want to do anything. Or we get restless with the structure we set up to accomplish what we intended. We would rather go back to the craziness of the world.
The writer of the article interviewed Norris from her Honolulu home. The first thing Norris shared comes out of our own crazy times. She said, “Millions of Americans are forced to be hermits and live a monastic life…” And even those who are not cooped up---the health workers, grocery store workers, etc. are not dealing with normality.
The author of the article, Peter Feuerherd comments knowingly when he says, “For the ancient monks, acedia was defined as a sense of restlessness, spiritual unease and an urge to escape the harsh routines of monastic life. It was considered a deadly sin, numbing those who succumb to it to access to God's love and the fruits of the spiritual life.” While I am sure in today’s world many would attribute the unease to psychological restlessness (and I don’t deny that), I do believe there is much about spirituality (and religion) that is in play. This likely is true even for those who claim not to be spiritual.
Spirituality offers us a way to think about and formulate our own views of major life issues---things like meaning, purpose, belonging and love. These are more than psychological things to be worked out. All of us know the tug to escape these harsh realities of our world---with the looming physical threat, economic deterioration and the like. The world does seem to be going to hell in a handbasket and we don’t like it. We are uneasy, maybe even fearful.
I like Norris’ observation when she suggests, “In today's crisis, the experience of isolation can aggravate feelings of acedia, often confused with the more modern description of depression. But there are differences.” Also she recognizes that acedia can lead to some nasty stuff. “When acedia strikes, it creates an urge to lash out. ‘It's the feeling of being totally bored and totally restless. It's a horrible combination…’”
Norris offers some advice, which squares with some of what we hear from psychologists. Get some structure---some routine. She also notes, “Take a shower and wash your hair every day. Little items of grooming, when neglected, can create a "feeling of 'Why bother?” This is a good one; it would not have occurred to me to tell people to take a shower! Humorously, she also tells us to have enough chocolate on hand!
She shared that she says the recites the Lord’s Prayer when she washes her hands. I think that is better than Happy Birthday! When monks experienced the malady of acedia, or restlessness, they were tempted to flee---run away. Many of us are feeling this same temptation. But Norris rightly recognizes, “There is no place to run to. That is one of the hardest things for us.”
Kathleen does a wonderful job of assuring this feeling is normal and something we can constructively deal with. It need not drive us crazy. Her tips are quite helpful in the daily coping that crazy times demand. I will simply add that this is a great time to do some soul-searching and go deeper into life. Perhaps that is the opposite of restlessness or boredom. Instead of looking for distraction, be willing to sit with yourself and let your soul speak.
Maybe this sounds like a hokey platitude. It is a way of suggesting we might actually make this period of time pay off. It is almost a way of beating the system. We come out more grounded, stronger and clear about ourselves and life. We become more confident and feel like we can make sense of whatever comes our way.
Seems like a better alternative to restlessness.
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