Silence and quiet require humility. To be quiet is a stance of not knowing, a place of letting go. Silence is accepting that it’s ok not to fill the space. It’s good to just be. It’s a chance to step back from the pressures of having to try to shape or direct reality. We don’t have to control everything by keeping up the discourse or the argument or the entertainment.
Is it any wonder that many wisdom traditions teach in one way or another that humility is among the highest spiritual virtues? There is inherent goodness in letting go of the pressures to compete and perform.
Silence is renewal. Silence is clarity. It’s the ability to not say the first thing that flies into your head (how many arguments or hurt feelings would we each have avoided if we sat in silence for a moment before speaking), but take a moments silence to feel what is truly in the heart.
Between stimulus and response, there is space. In class this month we’ve become confident to be quiet, together.... To hold space for each other. And isn’t it interesting that the quieter we become, the more we can hear?
See you tonight.