Traveling and A Sense of Stability

Stability comes from the Greek word for “equilibrium” and it is one of the core values of life under the Rule of St. Benedict, along with Humility, which I wrote about in an earlier post. In Benedictine Traditions class on Tuesday the idea of stability was our primary topic of discussion and I began to consider how stability fits into the idea of traveling.

First of all, we have to figure out what stability really is. Although it is usually not very helpful to define things by negation, stability is not living in one town from your birth to your death as some may think. Stability is being committed to a way of life, both internally and externally, and developing a sense of peace and centered-ness that pervades all areas of life. It frees the mind and heart to be in the moment, receptive to the world around us. It also creates the parameters through which we see the world. It keeps us from falling for every boy that walks our way, or emptying our bank accounts on every new fad, or changing jobs every three weeks. We have a sense of peace that allows us the freedom to make real commitments that will last.

It is clear why it is important for monks and nuns planning to spend their whole lives in a specific community to talk about stability. But it matters just as much for lay people who need to make long-term commitments as well, such as marriage.

Modern culture talks about stability also, but often only to the extent that its synonymous with happiness. Today we want things that are disposable, mostly because disposability is what we have come to expect, in both products and relationships. Our electronics and cars are out of date the moment we start using them. We buy cheap clothes that we’ll replace the next time the same season comes around. The prevailing ideas of relativism and instant gratification have made us focus not on the long-term, but on the perceived happiness of the moment. The fact that the idea of a “starter-marriage” even exists tells us that something is wrong with our sense of commitment.

Traveling is like a pill we can take to find out where we’re at with stability. At first glance it may seem like traveling removes our stability, but it actually causes us to take a really good look at where our stability comes from. We find out what and who we miss, and what we’ve brought with us that allows us to stay centered. As they say, you take yourself with you wherever you go.

The landscape changes, but you are the same person. And you get to really see who that is.

But we must not forget that there are things to be said for change as well. Remember, stability is truly equilibrium, not stagnation on one side or the other, and I think this is part of what makes travel so wonderful, especially with people that you already know, because they help you to maintain a clear sense of self, while exploring new and formative ideas and places. Traveling with two people that are especially dear to me, my roommate and my boyfriend, has made me realize how much they contribute to my sense of stability.

But most of all, God has risen to the top. Prayer is my stability, in the midst of traveling the globe, moving from school to home and back to school, and figuring out the whole rest of my life, God is there, and I connect to him through prayer. And in that way I can feel as at home here in Tuscany as I ever could in Iowa.

Peace.