Iwona Please read this text carefully, take your time. Take time just for that one activity. Think. Make an experiment like this – perhaps the first in a long time.
There is growing clamor around us. Not only the outside, but also the inside. Our thoughts can be loud. Screaming is a symptom of anxiety. There are people who kill silence – they cannot speak without words. We are afraid of silence, and there are moments that simply require it.
We’re still bombarded with news. Do we really need to know about everything that is happening in the world? What does this knowledge give us? There is rest to the soul in silence. We should not torture our friends, we should not be afraid of loneliness.
– I read these words in a letter from my good soul called Miśka and I wanted to share them, because I have the same. I perceive silence in the same way – as a gift. As a necessity to maintain mental health. In today’s world it’s difficult when even photos on social media are screaming – lots of people feel compelled to post photos that tell the rest , how amused they are, how active they are, on the run all the time. But in today’s world it is doubly important to turn to silence.
Let me give you one more meaningful quote:
“For human life, the conditions in which he lives are no less important than oxygen and food, so that life does not become vegetation. The environment has a profound impact on the health and well-being of a person, their sensitivity, and the quality of life, both mental and spiritual. We live in a time of increased noise, where children’s rights and human rights are loudly emphasized. However, one of the fundamental rights is overlooked: the right to silence.
The life of the past was silence. It wasn’t until the nineteenth century, with the invention of machines, that noise was born. Today, noise triumphs and rules sovereignly over people’s sensitivity.
Its symbolism is also negative, for example, according to the Scriptures, the apocalyptic tumult is to herald the end of the world. In ancient China, however, noise was used as an exceptionally severe torture ” [1]
Without silence, there is no growth, no progress. In silence you can hear yourself and you can hear God.
I have been going to the swimming pool regularly for several weeks. And despite my initial reluctance, I fell in love with this time. An hour of being offline, an hour of being alone with God. Do you know that sometimes you have to keep your ears closed to hear something?
I have this when I swim on my back – you know the moment when your ears are submerged and then…. are you starting to hear. You hear every little sound of the water, you hear your breathing, your body movements, your interior.
When I get out of the water after an hour, I am happy. Relaxed. Full of energy. Ready for the day. I have the same in winter, while ice-swimming – when I sit in silence, in icy water, often watching the sunset behind the forest, I feel that I am in the right way, that everything is exactly as it should be, balanced, and I feed on silence, which is therapeutic. I constantly return to the water.
I have a similar effect standing on top. I like mountains because they are a great metaphor for life – among other things, they put everything in a different perspective.
I don’t have to go high. With each successive meter, the air is cleaner, clearer, and all matters fall silent. The roar of life; street noise, human quarrels, conversations do not reach me. I am beyond all rumors, news, scandals. Offline. And online at the same time.
Jesus
He says: ‘Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’ (Matthew 11:29)
According to the Seven Languages of Life[2], Jesus was most likely the Contemplator’s leading language of life – and he is often silent. His experience and wisdom are born in silence.
On my 16-year journey with God, I know that a true bond with Him is also born in silence – only there we will hear Him. But not only me; numerous orders and religious places (e.g. small chapels) are based on contemplation and silence. Silence with God does not mean emptiness. I would say quite the opposite.
How to start living in silence?
„We can start our silence, contemplating gratitude” (Miśka).
I agree. This is what I do. As Miśka continues:
“There is so much good going on around us that we don’t see. However, it requires regularity if we want to notice the effects. You can make a retreat yourself in silence in the bosom of nature: walking in the mountains, forest, listening to the singing of birds ”.
Reading, experiencing the Scriptures requires attention, devoting time only to this – it is worth inviting the Holy Spirit to act through us while reading. And focus completely on the person of God, Jesus – do you know that when we are together in eternity, we will only talk to Him with our hearts? You won’t need to open your mouth. It’s worth practicing now.
We write letters with Miśka, because we both express ourselves not by speaking but by writing. There is a mindfulness in writing that is necessary to take full advantage of the silence. Writing down your thoughts calms you down – for example by keeping a diary. After some time, we can confront them. Not every thought needs to be spoken – most probably shouldn’t, but such written, remembered thoughts can do the greatest job. In us.
I have a sore throat as I write this – what a paradox! I have already told my students that they will be speaking the whole lesson. I will listen – this way they will learn more about their knowledge and I will learn more about them. That is how they will benefit from my silence.
How is your life? Can you be offline? If so, how do you practice it?
Shre here on the blog or here, on Fanpage.
Bless you all!
[1] CISZA W TEORII I PRAKTYCE [SILENCE IN THEORY AND PRACTICE] edited by Teresa Olearczyk, Krakow 2014
[2] Look: Fred and Anna Kendall
