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Nothing to having a Good Friday of quiet reflection

A Balinese man kicks up the fire during the Mesabatan Api ritual ahead of Nyepi Day. Picture: Getty Images

West Australians love Bali with its beaches, cafes, clubs, adventure parks and of course, Bintang beer.

But once a year our paradise island comes to a halt as this predominately Hindu island celebrates Nyepi, a day of “stillness” and “self-reflection”.

Those in Bali two weeks ago would have experienced Nyepi firsthand.

A day of silence might be fine for the Balinese but for us Aussies it also meant all cafes and pubs in Bali were closed, all beaches were shut and patrolled by security guards to ensure no swimming or beach sitting took place and all supermarkets, and even convenience stores, displayed the “Sorry we’re closed” sign.

During Nyepi, most tourists simply confine themselves to their hotels or villas where they can sit around the pool, read, sleep and just do their own piece of meditation or self-reflection. It’s a big shock to the system if you are a typical overstimulated westerner.

Interestingly, many people enjoy the Nyepi experience despite it being difficult for many people to “do nothing” for an entire day — and the number of Australian tourists specifically holidaying in Bali at this time is on the increase.

And that brings me to the Easter holidays in Australia this week and in particular, Good Friday. Sure, it’s a day when we are meant to reflect on the death of Jesus Christ but for many families it’s just another holiday, albeit with nothing to do — not even an AFL match to watch.

On Good Friday last year in our household my partner Katherine and I tried our version of Bali’s Nyepi, where we stayed home and enjoyed our own quiet day of reflection. It was actually really nice.

Our family came over for a late but simple lunch and some good conversation. No TV, no noise and just us being an (a)typical Aussie family.

I didn’t even feel as though I should be going to the pool to do some laps like I normally do. Anyway, the pool was shut along with most shops and cafes.

Despite my football-addicted father Bob saying there is almost no life without footy, it turned out to be a really nice day. It was even better than Christmas Day when it is compulsory to have all the extended family over and to provide endless gifts for relatives you haven’t seen for the past year.

Good Friday is open to simple choices as to what you want to do on this very quiet day.

So maybe this Easter we should resist all sport, including football, on Good Friday and advocate for all shops to remain shut along with anything that continues to stimulate us and what the Buddhists call our “monkey minds”.

Perhaps we could follow our fellow Aussies in Bali during Nyepi recently and just chill out with family and friends this Good Friday. Or stay at home, letting the kids play outside while we read books or even practise meditation.

After all, is it so hard to learn to do nothing for just one day?