Meditation on Silence
Gunilla Norris writes in her book, Inviting Silence: Universal Principles of Meditation, that “silence is a political act.” Norris pinpoints the reason why. “Silence brings us back to basics, to our senses, to ourselves." In the silence, we have a chance to get re-grounded in fundamental human values, and the lives of others are touched and influenced in ways large and small.
Let us practice silence alone or together.
Meditation on Silence by Gunilla Norris
Within each of us there is a silence
- a silence as vast as a universe.
We are afraid of it...and we long for it.
When we experience that silence, we remember
who we are: creatures of the stars, created
from the cooling of this planet, created
from dust and gas, created
from the elements, created
from time and space...created
from silence.
In our present culture,
silence is something like an endangered species...
an endangered fundamental.
The experience of silence is now so rare
that we must cultivate it and treasure it.
This is especially true for shared silence.
Sharing silence is, in fact, a political act.
When we can stand aside from the usual and
perceive the fundamental, change begins to happen.
Our lives align with deeper values
and the lives of others are touched and influenced.
Silence brings us back to basics, to our senses,
to ourselves. It locates us. Without that return
we can go so far away from our true natures
that we end up, quite literally, beside ourselves.
We live blindly and act thoughtlessly.
We endanger the delicate balance which sustains
our lives, our communities, and our planet.
Each of us can make a difference.
Politicians and visionaries will not return us
to the sacredness of life.
That will be done by ordinary men and women
who together or alone can say,
"Remember to breathe, remember to feel,
remember to care,
let us do this for our children and ourselves
and our children's children
Let us practice for life's sake."
About this series:
Each year, hundreds of URI Cooperation Circles participate in the International Day of Peace (IDP). As a global community, we put organized global spirit and energy into action! Here are some beloved ideas and inspirations for peacebuilding. You can expect two issues of this series each week until September 21. Hope you love them too and find them useful!
See more posts in this series for more ideas about how to celebrate the International Day of Peace.
May Peace Prevail,
Sally