From politicians, business leaders and the population in general are eagerly waiting and hoping for the day when life can return to normal.
Question: Is that the best we can hope for?
I would ask you to ponder upon this enforced semi-isolation as an opportunity to reflect upon our lifestyles.
Quakers (in their gathering for worship) are comfortable with the sound of silence. It is an attenuated openness to the inspiration of God or the Spirit. The journalist Tom Robinson writes: If God is trying to tell us something, the thinking goes, how can we hear him amid the hymns, psalms, sermons, and recited prayers of a conventional church service. So, for 350 years Quakers having been sitting down, shutting up and listening instead.
Parker Palmer, a prominent Quaker, author and speaker says - "Everyone has an inner teacher", and often one encounters this Inner Teacher in silence.
Silence - one of the ancient yet traditional spiritual disciplines
There has never been such a time in history which is as noisy as ours - where the need for silence has never been so important.
Radio, television, music, internet, mobile phones, the social media networks, advertisements everywhere screaming their messages at us
The average person has five social media accounts and spends around 1 hour and 40 minutes browsing these networks every day,
Young people aged between 16 and 24 spend more than 27 hours a week on the internet,
People are spending twice as much time online compared to 10 years ago, fueled by increasing use of tablets and smartphones.
The average Australian spends over 3 hours per day watching television.
Yet, you could turn all these devices off, stop reading the newspaper, be alone in a secluded space and still be bombarded by the noise of the thoughts that rush around inside your head.
The Soul is like a Wild Animal
"How we are to listen to our lives is a question worth exploring. The soul speaks its truth only under quiet, inviting, and trustworthy conditions. The soul is like a wild animal - tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient, and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is to go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek." - Parker Palmer from "Let Your Life Speak", pp. 8-9 [Personally I would prefer to use "Holy Spirit" rather than "soul".]
Our Current time of forced isolation
Perhaps not since the Second World War has there been such a strange period of time for the human race to live in. Forced self-isolation, except for those undertaking essential work and tasks, is foreign to most of us. For some it is like transitioning from the warmth of summer to the bleakness of winter.
There are indications that some are having great difficulty making the adjustment. Never-the-less, there are signs some people are re-discovering the benefits and joys of one's local community.
Today (mid-autumn) while Judy and I were strolling around the paths among the native plants and shrubs we commenced plant three years ago, we paused and looked at the remarkable autumn growth that has taken place. In three or four weeks the growth will cease and they will enter a phase of dormancy during the winter months.
Yet during those months, life is still doing its work; for many of these plants and shrubs they are preparing themselves for the bursting forth of spring growth.
Winter has its purpose and benefits.
Author: Ross Flint. Ordained Anglican. Marist Associate.
Jpic blog – 04/05/2020
Le Rev. Ross Flint, Mariste Associé, nous invite de Tasmanie (Australie) à réfléchir sur la manièreWhen you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.
Comments 1
Thank you once again Ben! I intend to print a copy of this wisdom, to come back to it weekly.