Not only does silence give us a chance to understand ourselves better, to get a truer and more balanced perspective on our own lives in relation to the lives of others: silence makes us whole if we let it. Silence helps draw together the scattered and dissipated energies of a fragmented existence.
Interpretation
Silence allows for self-reflection and fosters a sense of completeness.
This quote by Thomas Merton emphasizes the power of silence in enabling individuals to reflect on their lives and understand themselves in a deeper way. It suggests that taking time for silence can help to unify our scattered thoughts and energies, leading to a more balanced perspective on both our own experiences and those of others, ultimately guiding us towards a sense of wholeness.
In practice
During a mindfulness workshop to encourage participants to embrace moments of silence.
The devil is no fool. He can get people feeling about heaven the way they ought to feel about hell. He can make them fear the means of grace the way they do not fear sin. And he does so, not by light but by obscurity, not by realities but by shadows; not by clarity and substance, but by dreams and the creatures of psychosis. And men are so poor in intellect that a few cold chills down their spine will be enough to keep them from ever finding out the truth about anything.
Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our own destiny....To work out our identity in God.
Conscience is the light by which we interpret the will of God in our own lives.
You are made in the image of what you desire.
But if you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for.
I have the immense joy of being man, a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now that I realize what we all are. And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.
If you're unhappy with what you've had over the last 50 years, you have an unfortunate misappraisal of life. It's as good as it gets, and it's very likely to get worse.
What is worse than having no sight is being able to see but having no vision.
To develop our real selves, we need time alone for thought and meditation. To be always giving out and never pumping in, the well runs dry.
Maybe this year, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives not looking for flaws, but looking for potential.
I am tired of talk that comes to nothing It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk. It does not require many words to speak the truth.
A great hallmark of mental wellness is the ability to be in the present moment, fully and with no thoughts of being elsewhere.
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