The Joy of Quiet

An article called "The Joy of Quiet" over at the New York Times caught my eye. Pico Iyer talks about the need for quiet or mental space in a world that's filled with distractions.

The urgency of slowing down — to find the time and space to think — is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.

When telegraphs and trains brought in the idea that convenience was more important than content — and speedier means could make up for unimproved ends — Henry David Thoreau reminded us that “the man whose horse trots a mile in a minute does not carry the most important messages.”

It goes on to talk about the popularity of yoga, unplugging from technology, and creating distance from the noise, and also cites the idea that people who live in less busy rural settings may "exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition."

The article is a great read, and I get the feeling that the people at the New York Times have an inherent understanding of the importance of inward-focus. It makes me wonder - just what percentage of New York Times readers do you think identify as introverts?