Do you fear silence?
Does the idea of sitting quietly,
by yourself,
all electronics off and stowed,
no conversation, no music, no TV, etc.,
leave you cringing?
You're not alone.
Our culture feeds on noise and distraction.
Even our houses of worship
(unless, perhaps, you're a Quaker)
pile on the activities--
Listen to this!
Attend this!
Sing this!
Gather here!
Gather there!
Zoom!
Stream!
Click!
Comment!
We are all,
it seems,
uncomfortable with silence.
What if you
reframe silence?
Let silence be
a deep, creative awareness
of what's most real and true for you.
Doesn't that sound
(no pun intended)
delightful?
restorative?
grounding?
ultimately freeing?
Sister Wendy Beckett suggests
that such silent, measured awareness
distinguishes us as human.
Nothing outside of you
can compete with the wonder within.
For just a while today
be silent,
aware,
and fully human.
Text and image © 2021 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.
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