Stillness Can Be Moving
The experience of stillness amidst the hustle of life, I am sitting in the inner courtyard of the Friends’ House in London: stillness can be moving. It may seem paradoxical, but this idea embodies the concept within moments of quiet reflection, we find the strength to move forward in our lives, embrace change, and challenge the limits of our thinking. The Quaker, Friends’ House, values expressed in the two posters — Be open to new light and Live adventurously — resonate deeply with this line of thinking, offering a timeless invitation to reflect, evolve, and seek meaningful experiences.
Stillness: A Catalyst for Movement
In a world overwhelmed by constant motion, stillness has become rare and undervalued. Yet, as the quiet, reflective time brings home, stillness can be transformative. Stillness and movement: Physical surroundings create mental and emotional space for reflection, allowing any of us to pause and reassess where we are, how we think, and what we truly value.
Transformative is one of the consultant’s buzzwords nowadays. Need to get a good adjective in there — we need transformative change, not just change but transformative. The modern world, saturated with endless quotes, information, and distractions, has played to the soundbites and desensitised us to the value of contemplation. Our ancestry hardwired us to act quickly and seek immediate rewards. But in moments of stillness, we rediscover the beauty of being rather than doing. It’s within this space new light can enter — a metaphor for new perspectives, insights, and understanding we often miss when caught in the rush of daily life.
We miss periods of time to use our energy inwardly where we can reflect that purpose is not the meaning in our life.
True understanding sometimes requires us to stop, listen, and reflect. In those moments of stillness, history, place, and the present merge, offering a deeper comprehension of how society and individuals develop. Stillness, rather than being passive, becomes an active, dynamic force fuelling intellectual and spiritual growth; from purpose to finding meaning. This is where stillness becomes moving — it propels us forward by giving us clarity, direction, and renewed energy.
Living Adventurously: Beyond the Comfort Zone
The phrase live adventurously may initially seem like a call to bold, external action — scaling mountains, taking risks, or defying conventions. While these actions certainly have their place in so many people’s bucket lists, living adventurously is often more subtle and internal. It’s about pushing the boundaries of our thinking, questioning assumptions, and confronting the comfort zones stifling growth.
When we are young, we might mistake rebellion and exuberance for adventure — bending the rules, challenging authority, and testing limits. But as we mature, living adventurously takes on a more profound meaning. It’s about the courage to challenge oneself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s about asking the hard questions: What if I’m wrong? What if there’s more to learn? What if I change? What am I offering to those around me? To those who, may, look to me as a role model?
Living adventurously also requires a willingness to embrace vulnerability. Taking risks, even calculated ones, means accepting the possibility of failure. But it is in this willingness to fail we find growth. Comfort can easily slip into complacency and we never learn to do anything other than crawl. When we cease to challenge ourselves, we lose the sense of adventure keeping life vibrant. And meaningful? Whether it’s through a new challenge, a fresh perspective on old habits, or a reconsideration of long-held beliefs, living adventurously means pushing ourselves to grow.
Openness to New Light: Seeking Fresh Perspectives
The concept of being open to new light is perhaps the most challenging and rewarding aspect of living adventurously. Light, both literally and metaphorically, illuminates what we previously could not see. To be open to new light can mean being receptive to new ideas, perspectives, and experiences, even if they contradict our current worldview.
In today’s age, where information is so easily accessible, we often fall into the trap of confirmation bias — seeking out knowledge reaffirming our beliefs while rejecting those pieces of information challenging us. To truly be open to new light, we must actively work against this tendency. We must be willing to question the “filters” colouring our perception, whether they come from societal norms, political agendas, or personal biases.
The moment of stillness, sitting in a courtyard with nothing but brick walls and a cup of tea, is a powerful metaphor for this openness. There are no distractions, prescriptive voices, or virtual reality to distort the view outward and inward. It is just me, my thoughts, and the light — pure and unfiltered from a grey London sky and technicolour mind working through experiences prompted by reading the flagstones walking in here. In this space, I am free to see, sense, things as they are, not as they have been shaped by others.
This openness to new light is essential for personal growth. Whether it’s seeing familiar places with fresh eyes or rethinking deeply held assumptions, the willingness to embrace new perspectives keeps us moving forward. It keeps us growing.
Stillness, Performance, and the Inner Journey
In any field, be it sports, arts, or intellectual pursuits, top performers consistently point to the importance of mental calm. It is in moments of stillness they find clarity and focus, enabling them to perform at their best. Similarly, stillness offers us the opportunity to prepare for the challenges ahead.
We often think of performance in terms of action — doing more, achieving more, being more. But the Quaker philosophy, as reflected in their values of simplicity, stillness, and reflection, teaches us performance is just as much about being: Being mindful, being present, becoming open to new light. In these moments of calm, we gather the mental and emotional strength to take on life’s challenges with grace and purpose.
Living adventurously requires this preparation. The risks we take, the boundaries we push, are not reckless but informed by moments of stillness where we align with our deeper selves. This alignment allows us to move through life with intention, grounded in who we are and open to who we are becoming. It is moments pressing our limits where we shape and, as I reflect back, I realise how working in places where guns regularly solved arguments, where women and children died because of the lack of clean water and decent food. I give thanks for what I have and reinforce my motivation. Reflect, refract, handle the diffractions of everyday living and prepare to deliver for positive gain. My own highly charged performance challenges.
An Invitation to Stillness and Adventure
Stillness can be moving. This seeming paradox of the English language encapsulates the essence of a life well-lived. We find the clarity and strength to live adventurously in meaningful moments. The Quaker teachings offer a gentle reminder life’s greatest journeys often begin in stillness. The other faiths and religions offer similar insightful points, bringing us to the point our spiritual well-being commences inside ourselves and builds on the conversations we have to build learning and wisdom.
To live adventurously means to embrace both inner and outer challenges. Being open to new light, questioning what we think we know, and pushing the boundaries of our comfort zones. Finding adventure not just in grand gestures, but in the subtle shifts in perspective transforming how we see the world and ourselves.
In a world where a few would have us believe the value is in constant motion, productivity, and external achievement, there is quiet wisdom in pausing, reflecting, and preparing for the next adventure. The quiet Quaker House quadrangle, the weight of history around me, the thinking on those who live in places, in ways, where survival is the be-all and end-all of daily toil, I know stillness is not the absence of movement — it is the source of it.
