Parker Palmer recently posted this poem on silence by Gunilla Norris. I found it interesting and beautiful. We often talk about accepting silence when we gather as staff wholly or in small groups. In the complexities that are often presented before us, we seek to answer questions or proffer advice before fully understanding or reflecting on what has been presented. There is something binding about sitting silently together. In my experience, these moments of silence compel us to think deeper, share more and connect authentically. Silence creates space for contemplation and growth, both personally and professionally. We use the concepts and protocols of Critcal Friends Groups frequently as a staff. Embedded in the process of CFGs are many moments of shared silence and group reflection. I highly recommend it. Many find it awkward at first, but quickly come to appreciate that awkward silence. I hope you enjoy the poem.
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 our selves. 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."
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 our selves. 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."
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