Rest is essential. Our bodies are built with this in mind: to fight a dragon, run from a lion, kill a tiger… and then to rest for a day, 2 days, 3. To have periods of extreme stress and crunch-time fight-or-flight, and then to recuperate with ease. We see this in how we are wired to require sleep, we see this when we put a human in a situation where they never stop fighting the dragon, running from the lion. Constant stress kills the vessel, large-stress every now and then strengths the vessel. There is a balance to be found, too much rest will leave one lethargic and weak, too much fight will leave one diseased and dead inside.

It is with this that most literature implores the hero’s journey is not constant, for the same mechanism that requires rest in order for muscle growth, the fight must be sparce and large, with rest in-between, or else face the reality of too much of either. Consistent stress leads to the breakdown of the vessel in every manner possible, from cancer to emotional suppression. Our bodies were not meant to stay in fight-or-flight for long periods of time, short bursts rather.

Rest appears in many forms, through genuine sleep and lack of movement, to creative expression in a low-to-zero stress environment. Rest is essential and non-negotiable. Some of the best ideas, solutions, and actions have occurred during periods of rest. It is for this reason that many meditate daily. To contemplate is to be still, and to be still is to be in rest; one does not contemplate their actions and life while amidst the range of raging dragon breath, sit still and contemplate.

Meditation provides a link between these states, sometimes rest requires more than sleep, it requires active resting, in the form of meditation or meditative activities. Do well to find this counter-balancing act. Meditate.

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