The Silence

simplicity // 23
the Silence

Silence is not simply a negative; the lack of noise. We do, of course, need to lose the noise, in order to hear properly again; we need to switch the iPod off, unplug the TV, stop chattering ceaselessly, slow ourselves to stillness.

But then, still, we must listen. And if we do, we may hear something that was there all along.

“Increasingly,” writes Sara Maitland in A Book of Silence, “I realise there is an interior dimension to silence, a sort of stillness of heart and mind which is not a void but a rich space...

“Silence is not an absence of sound,” she concludes, “but the presence of something which is not sound.”


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action point:

Go in search of silence, today. And please tell us where you find it, and how you would describe the presence she speaks of.


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rsvp:

“How strange that having read ‘the Fighter’, later on Saturday I looked at the Telegraph and found an inspiring account of Arthur, a little fighter for life, written by his mother, Becky Pugh. There seemed to me to be a link, though it would be complicated to explain. Lent is pretty difficult this year, even more than usual and I am having to fight in various ways most days. Yesterday I won one battle and when I went out into the fields a small moment of light came with the first lark of the year ascending over me, an amazing thing to watch and to hear the song so loudly, even when the bird is a barely visible speck in the sky. I shall press on.” Anne

“...I now spend more time giving my full and proper attention to my children and husband. I have spent time every day thinking about and/or doing the daily action points, quite a few of which I’ve comtinued to do on subsequent days. So I must assume that I am spending longer each day considering my journey and learning to watch and wait. I am compiling a journal/scrapbook of my thoughts which, even now, as I look back to the start of lent, reminds me of the thoughts and feelings I was experiencing then. This will, I'm sure, continue to be an inspiration to me after our 40 days together. I remind myself regularly of what is truly important to me and try as often as I can to keep that in forefront of my mind and daily practices...” Paula


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May you find the rich space, today.
Go well!

Brian