I came across this article, “The Power of a Quiet Life” by Lewis Richmond, recently and I quite like this quote—
There are three principles of bodhisattva life I teach: keep your mind clear, be patient, and when you see an opportunity to act, do so without hesitation. Now I am thinking about adding a fourth principle: live a quiet life. Don’t be distracted by things. When the insanities of the world become too noisy and preposterous, remain inwardly calm. If you don’t see what you can do, don’t do anything. Just wait. Things will change; they always do. Change is the Buddha’s first and best teaching. In some ways, change has never been more in the air than now. The aspiring bodhisattva rides change the way a thrown stone skips over water. Change is our best hope and strongest power.
I have been trying to practise living “a quiet life” by not checking the news every day, but rather once on Friday. I must admit it feels somewhat frightening, as there might be quite terrible things that happened during the week. But if I’m honest with myself, if an event requires immediate action, I will likely hear about it from someone. If not, it can wait until Friday. I haven’t checked the news for three days now. The world seems to be okay. And my life is a little bit more quiet, a little more my own.