We have a tendency to think
in terms of doing and not
in terms of being.

We think that when we’re not doing anything,
we’re wasting our time.

But that’s not true.

Our time is first of all
for us to be.

To be what?

To be alive, to be peaceful,
to be joyful, to be loving.

And this is what the world needs the most.

We all need to train ourselves in our way of being,
and that is the ground for all action.

Our quality of being
determines our quality of doing.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, *11 October 1926 - †22 January 2022