For the traveler, the known, worn path is a place of predictability and a sense of safety. Filled with fellow travelers, it’s also a place of distraction and noise. Kierkegaard reminds us that to address the divided heart, the will that is caught wrestling within temporal and eternal realities, the traveler must venture off the common, busy path. There, away from the crowd and temporal noise, the traveler ventures into the solitary forest of contemplation to address inner, eternal longings. “We interrupt our busy lives to put on the quiet of contemplation.”
The reward we receive from departing from the familiar path he terms the “festival garment” of self-awareness. Self-awareness requires reflection, which is impossible without pausing and standing still. Like rushing past a mirror, Kierkegaard says our busyness serves to mute the eternal perspective, the divided will lie deep within us. This divided will, this double-mindedness, lies buried in humanity’s distractions.
He draws our attention to the murmuring brook, which flows alongside life’s busy highway, but largely unnoticed by the traveler. “If you go buried in your thoughts, if you are busy, then you do not notice it all in your passing.” To venture off the highway then is to pause, to quiet the soul, and allow for the quieting, restorative work of the Spirit.
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love…
Zephania 3:17
To give space for our souls, away from the noise, is to sit by the river bed, allowing for the quiet murmurings of the river to become amplified. Once we hear their sounds, they are unmistakable, unspeakable, and invitational. The longer we sit and reflect on their sounds, the more distinct they become. Over time, the seeking soul’s eternal nature arises out of its muted, temporal dominance and rightly assumes a prioritized, and integrated place in the life of the traveler. As Chardin poignantly notes, the paradigm of reality begins to shift, through we travel on the temporal highway, we are much more than earthly travelers.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Jesus regularly ventured away from the crowds, off the beaten paths.
He valued the murmuring brook and its nourishing effect. For the wearied traveler, the invitation to solitude and reflection restores the soul. As we clothe ourselves with the garments of contemplation, may we experience the nourishing living water that restores our souls. Then, we can re-enter the busy highway of life, filled and at peace, beyond even our understanding (Phil 4:7).
Footnotes: Citations taken from Kierkegaard’s “Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing” p. 28-29 originally published in Danish 1847. Translation 2019 AC Beirise.
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