By Dr. Sandy Islands for Conch Color
In the flurry of our technological busy world, it’s become almost a necessity to find time to retreat into the silence. Some call it a time of reflection or meditation which doesn’t have to be done in any particular way. The important thing is to find a way that works for us. Maybe it’s a few minutes in the morning before hopping out of bed or a few minutes at night without TV, just the sounds of quiet nature. We might come to value the silence of our ride into work without the radio or a peaceful stroll through our gardens. Let’s ask ourselves how much noise and sound we really need to keep ourselves company? True quiet is made up of serenity, acceptance and peace.
Practicing times of quiet allows us to detach our minds from our troubles and watch our problems often solve themselves. We might practice meditation in motion by taking long walks or bike rides, practice yoga or swimming and diving. Some call “prayer,” talking to God, while “meditation,” is listening. When we take time away to retreat into the silence, we enter the sanctuaries of our souls. Lao Tsu says in the Tao te Ching, “He who knows, does not say; he who says, does not know.”
We are not referring to a grim furious silence that can be more crushing than harsh words. This type of self-indulgent silence is motivated by a desire to punish and is born from bitterness, self-pity and resentment. Our silence, like our speech reflects our inner feelings. We must avoid using silence as a cork on our bottle of anger, instead we can let our silence express a healing quiet of spirit. Keeping peace with silence is not the same as being passive. It’s practicing a presence of being and restraint when it’s not the right time to say what comes to mind. In this way we align our stillness of tongue with our stillness of spirit. In the quiet of silence, the truth is always made clear.
If we each decide to be the provider of quiet in our homes, we’ll find ways to step off the conflict court and refuse to play the game of crisis and turmoil. Another’s angry words cannot touch us unless we allow them to. It takes greater self-control to back away from conflict and confusion than react to it. Each battle we win – with ourselves – makes the next one easier. Quietness is a great ally and friend. By keeping our poise in the midst of turmoil, we do not contribute to making bad matters worse. Taking life easily means adopting the belief that “this too shall pass.” We wait and have faith that whatever conflict we choose to step away from today will always seem less important tomorrow. Then, we are actually protecting our peace of mind.
Alan Cohen sums this up by saying, “Within our hearts lies a temple of peace and quiet where we can be nourished and healed. We rise above human conversation and drink deeply from the stream of the divine nectar -our inner truth. We expand beyond what we’ve been taught and remember what we know. In the silence, we commune with the wisdom of the universe in our souls. Please write to Dr. Sandy Islands at sandyislands@hawaii.rr.com