|
The Constellation Learning Newsletter
February 2007
 I
do a lot of talking in my role as program leader and facilitator.
I love conversing, connecting. But I’ve noticed, as
I age, that I the more programs I lead, the more likely it
is that I’ll require some serious silent time to off-set
all the talking. Our world’s not really set up for silence.
You’ve got to create it nowadays.
It’s worth the effort.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~
Monthly Message ~
“Silence
is the element in which great things
fashion themselves together.”
-- Thomas Carlyle
 When
I ride the subway in Toronto, at least half the people in
my car will have earphones in their ears; there are iPods
everywhere. The current “must have” product on
the market, everyone is talking about their iPods—how
small they are, how many songs they’ll hold. Seems you’re
totally missing the action if you don’t own an iPod.
Or a fancy sleek new cell phone, or the newest Blackberry.
Gadgets everywhere, all attached to our ears.
I must confess that I don’t get it. All that noise
blasting right inside your head. I suppose that some owners
will profess that listening to their favourite music instead
of the harsh sounds of the city is a good reason to plug their
ears from the reminders of urban living. Certainly, my subway
car is less chatty than it was a couple of years ago; rarely
do I hear anyone actually conversing on my ride downtown.
But at what cost? All that noise piped right to your brain.
Though it sure does help people protect themselves from inconvenient
conversations. Or unnecessary connections. Seems to me it’s
another step toward further isolation in our society; the
silo effect overtly displayed. Human beings need silence more
than we think. If we’re always listening to music, or
watching TV or checking our Blackberries or talking on the
phone, it’s no wonder we’re so exhausted at the
end of the day. All that electronic interaction takes energy.
Long ago I read somewhere that Larry Hagman, star of the
old TV series, I Dream of Jeannie, and then later, Dallas,
spent every Sunday in silence. Complete silence. All his friends
knew and didn’t even try to call or see him on Sundays.
He wouldn’t say a word, not a single word. Apparently,
after years of consistency, everyone just left him alone.
I remember reading that bit of trivia about him and wondering
how on earth he managed not to speak for a whole day—any
day—but most especially a weekend day. And this was
before iPods!
I found out last Sunday.
I had led a class during the week and then entertained a
couple of out of town friends over the weekend. We are planning
a new business venture so we talked a lot on Friday and Saturday.
Sunday I found myself all alone with a looming deadline and
so I hunkered down and got to work. My phone never rang. I
didn’t turn on the TV or radio. I didn’t speak.
It was bliss. It was peaceful. It was…quiet.
At the very end of the day I noticed that I had had a whole
day of silence. I also noticed how relaxed I felt. With nothing
stuck in my ears.
I bet that’s what those iPod people are trying so hard
to feel.
Application Tips:
- Choose “silent time”
Pick one day, and one hour and stay silent for that hour.
Read instead of watch TV. Take a walk. Get up a little earlier
in the morning. Stare out the window. Leave the radio off.
Notice how often you look for distractions. They’re
all patterns. And most of them control you. A regular period
of silence, no matter how short, will help you feel calmer
and more in control of yourself and your life.
- Tell your family and ask
for their support
Trying to be completely silent in the midst of your regular
life is near impossible without a little help from family
and friends. Tell them what you’re doing, and why.
Ask for their support. One hour to start. Surely, even you
aren’t so indispensable that people won’t wait
one hour to talk to you. They might just respect you for
it, too. Try it and find out.
__________________________________________
See
our Newsletter Archives
|
