ENTERTAINMENT EVERYWHERE – PEACE NOWHERE!

Are we gutters or warehouses built to store noise under the guise of entertainment?

Modern life and entertainment continuously engage and stimulate our minds, but seldom bring peace to our souls.

Humans tried to fill the world with noise to prevent feelings of emptiness and loneliness. However, the noise stayed, distorting their souls, and the emptiness persisted.

Growing up, our entertainment options were few: we listened to Vividh-Bharti and Radio Ceylon in the evenings after homework, played cricket for a designated hour, and watched censored films once a month or every two months. These types of entertainment were significant and had a positive influence on our lives because they consistently offered opportunities to learn.

In past generations, life moved at a steady pace with moments like evening terrace conversations with loved ones, meaningful rituals done with intention, and simple, fun games. Today, however, life often feels like a traffic jam, characterised by crowding, short-lived emotions, mental restlessness, and irritability.

Currently, our entertainment is akin to fast food for our emotions, offering instant gratification. Unfortunately, it provides no nourishment or health. Despite consuming so much of this entertainment, we often wake up feeling heavy and stressed, with a lingering headache and inexplicable irritation.

The big question is: who is responsible for ruining our peace of mind? Is it society, our relationships, emerging technology, politics, or the current generation?

Who bears responsibility? Blaming seldom results in peace; it merely provides a fleeting outlet for frustration. A busy marketplace offers only distractions cloaked in commerce and entertainment – it does not foster peace. True peace is cultivated in silent, unseen spaces within, rooted in personal rhythms and principles. Although loud happiness surrounds us, many have forgotten the difference between pleasure and inner peace. The constantly distracted mind gradually loses the capacity to find calm and sit quietly. Eventually, no amount of excitement can bring true serenity to life.

Where and how to find peace? Is there a clear way or simple practice to help us focus inward and cultivate mindfulness for true serenity?

* Reducing unnecessary noise — involves making conscious choices that empower you to calm your mind and find clarity amid chaos.

* Saving a few precious moments for ourselves — involves choosing a calmer path and seeking silence and solitude. It means shutting off the computer, closing the office door, setting aside the cell phone, etc. These stolen moments are divine and refreshing.

* Nourishing the mind and heart — means actively engaging in meaningful reading, listening to music that resonates, and pursuing passions that bring fulfilment amidst life’s busyness.

* Finding positivity in social gatherings — means choosing to spend time with people who enrich your mind and heart, rather than drain your energy.

* Be a creator rather than a consumer – means not to take in everything available. Focus on developing your skills and creating something that makes you feel proud and happy. Instead of just receiving, aim to give back and enrich those around you.

Remember, the world cannot offer peace—it continuously attempts to take it away. We must safeguard it as carefully as we would shield a small flame in a storm.

“Goal is not to escape the world’s entertainment – It is to stop expecting it to give what only inner balance can provide.”

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