One day, I had a very tough workweek. I ran around completing tasks until I was exhausted. On Saturday, I decided to take a walk in the park to escape the hustle and bustle.

As soon as I stepped onto the park path, I remembered that I forgot to call this person and that person. I made the calls. Then, the wind carried the smell of coffee from nearby kiosks. I went and bought some. Next, thoughts about the upcoming annual report to my boss crept in. My mind then switched to two unfinished articles that needed to be completed today. Alongside, a recent argument with friends came to mind, and I started replaying it in my head. The wind brought a pleasant smell again, this time of my favorite cinnamon rolls. I decided I'd buy some on my way back. I checked my pockets — no, I didn't have enough money, and I didn't bring my card. I wonder if they accept transfers... I remembered I promised to call another person... and not just one, but three...

An entire hour that I allocated for "escaping the hustle" passed this way. Unfortunately, I didn't get to relax.

On my way home, I reflected on this infamous hustle we all complain about. "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity," came to mind from Ecclesiastes. When I got home, I decided to see how the holy fathers interpret these words. And here, I made a real discovery.

"What is the vanity of the mind?" asks St. John Chrysostom. And he answers, "Occupation with vain matters." So, what are these "vain matters"? Chrysostom replies, "Those without a good purpose." And he explains with an example of money: "Money is vain when spent on pleasures, but not vain when used to help the poor."

So, according to Chrysostom, vanity is not an external but an internal phenomenon. The hustle we constantly complain about is nothing but a disorder of our mind, as well as our sinful passions. "Pride and vanity, arrogance and conceit — all these are vanity, for they do not come from God but are produced by men," writes the saint.

It turns out that vanity is not around us, but within us! "Pride and vanity, arrogance and conceit," and other passions — these are the internal causes of a hectic lifestyle. Even money can be non-vain if it serves good. The goals and motives behind our actions give a spiritual dimension to our entire life, making it either vain or not.

Why didn't our ancestors complain about vanity? Did they work less than us? Did they live more abundantly? No. They always worked and always had needs. They worked, but they didn't hustle. Christianity was more prevalent in the world back then. Life was filled with completely different meanings. The Church, eternity. Has humanity changed spiritually since then? Probably not. It's just that more and more worldly things have entered our lives, what the Apostle Paul called "falling away." And we would call it the "secularization" or "dechurchification" of society.

The internal hustle of the mind creates a sense of rush and lack of time. Vanity is a spiritual state of a person, not a multitude of tasks. It's an inner enemy, not an external one.

These were the thoughts that came to me during that Saturday.

Original article: https://radiovera.ru/chto-takoe-sueta-sergej-komarov.html