Only Five Minutes to Spare

In 1654 Blaise Pascal wrote, ‘All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.’

I thought of this when recently someone wrote to me to say their life was so crowded it was difficult even ‘to find five minutes for God’. It is as well, I thought, that God has no ego! The idea that out of twenty four hours one can only find five minutes in which to meditate is strange. And yet, if one is a beginner, better a regular five minutes than none.

What I find myself suggesting more and more to people, especially those who are busy, or have many preoccupations, is to find a phrase that can act as a mantra which they can mentally repeat at intervals throughout the day, perhaps when waiting in a queue at the supermarket, or travelling on a train or bus; which can be repeated during wakeful moments in the night. It may be a phrase such as ‘That I may be filled with loving kindness’, or like the one I use which is, ‘God is present. God is here. God is now.’

Such a form of meditation acts as a life-line, a reminder of another order of reality.

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7 thoughts on “Only Five Minutes to Spare”

  1. Hello James,
    Pascal’s cure for the world’s ills still depends on the sitter holding a particular belief system, I feel. Empathising with people who hold radically different beliefs is perhaps more challenging.
    I’ve just Googled Pascal as I know nothing about him. Thank you for the introduction. I will look for more about him.

    1. DEAR LAURENCE,
      THOMAS MERTON A FEW DAYS BEFORE HIS DEATH, AT A GATHERING OF CATHOLIC MONKS AND BUDDHIST MONKS, COMMENTED HOW IN THE DEPTHS OF SILENCE ONE TRANSCENDS ALL DIFFERENCES….INTERESTINGLY IT WAS THE QUAKERS WHO FIRST STARTED DIALOGUE WITH BUDDHISTS WAY BACK.
      IN OUR GROUP, WHICH HAS BEEN GOING FOR 15 OR MORE YEARS, SOME ARE AGNOSTIC, SOME COMMITTED CATHOLICS, TWO ANGLICANS, AND SEVERAL FREUDIAN PSYCHO-ANALYSTS!
      HAPPY GREETINGS TO YOU! AND HAPPY MEMORIES, JAMES

      1. Ma sei proprio convinto che al pubblico, sopratutto italiano (!), interessi sapere l’evolversi della situazione meteo in merito a riserve idriche, stato delle coltivazioni o altro ??!!Diciamo che potresti aver ragione più che altro per conoscere se la partita di calcio “x-y” si terrà o verrà annullata per brutto tep20…&#823o;&#8m30;.. !!

  2. James ,
    We are compiling photos and recollections of the Valley Studio’s heydays in the ’70’s. It would be wonderful to have a story from you about your experience there with any recollection of people, events or just the place.
    Regards,
    E. Reid Gilbert

    1. Dude — See what I wrote earlier. The mob was able to roll over Prohibition funding into other venues because we waited too long to act. And yeah, it did destroy large segments, namely a lot of the smaller players who co&3lnu#d9;t move into new venues. What it didn't do was eradicate them.

  3. dear Reid, can you send me your postal address, as I have found one photograph, which i dont know how to send digitally, so must send via old fashioned mail!! happy greetings, James

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