SLOW DOWN, MIND by Vidya Chetan

Slow Down, Mind

by Vidya Chetan

We drift faraway from old ideals:

Have we lost our core values?

This world runs behind wealth

virtuous qualities seem obsolete.

Searching for something,

we tread unknown paths,

sans concern for others.

With our gadgets, day & night:

Connecting with far ones,

while snubbing those close by.

Engrossed in this materialistic world

we forget our own caretakers.

Respecting elders—obeying them—

has become a rare scene.

Inconsideration and apathy empower us,

our thoughts machine-driven,

overindulgence in sense gratification

slowing turning us into zombies and slaves.

We can’t live without our gadgets

but could manage without parents.

Time spent with parents, siblings, friends:

nothing but mere dreams now.

We hurriedly meet and leave them.

Smart phones dumbing us down:

having forgotten to play, read a book,

chit chat with neighbors.

Endlessly tied down to the gadgets,

our brains on non-functional mode.

Feelings of inner happiness lost.

Searching for joy in trivial things

we forget to admire the beauty of nature,

transported, instead, to any destination

with a click—life’s purpose gone.

Slow down, mind!

Instead, walk me barefoot on the earth,

tune me into the chirping of birds,

lead me to a tree I can hug, once again.

That we may meditate by the riverside,

hear the calling of life’s higher purpose,

recall why we are here.

Elizabeth Gadd Photography

Vidya Chetan: A blogger on social and environmental issues surrounding current events, Vidya is deeply inspired and motivated by Nature’s green beauty, which she finds both calming and energizing to her soul. As such, spirituality and Nature are closely linked for Vidya: a theme she often writes about with much passion. As a full time working professional in a corporate atmosphere, Vidya finds that the meditative practice of writing poems helps calm her mind, relieve tension and keep her sane. Her debut poetry book, Song of Soul was published in 2012. An ardent fan of Wordsworth and Gibran, Vidya finds solace in their works, which relieve her of her tensions and worries.

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