I found your column entertaining. And yet, ironic too that your Substack voice is being marshaled in the cause of silence, at least silence when appropriate. Of course silence is golden. We learned that along with other sayings and aphorisms when we were kids. I've relearned it over and over in my adulthood, mostly with variations of "Shut up!" and "Will you shut the fuck up?!" I'm much too voluminous a talker to be very good at silence. However, I do like the the aphorism, attributed to Confucius, Lincoln, Mark Twain and others (no one will remain silent on who originally said this, it seems): "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." Tragically, I have embodied the second half of that aphorism for most of my adult life.
At one time, seeking some mental solace, and possibly spiritual enlightenment, if I could get a two-for, I regularly meditated and also read some of the writings of the Vietnamese Buddhist master, Thich Nhat Han. He wrote:
“All the wonders of life are already here. They’re calling you. If you can listen to them, you will be able to stop running. What you need, what we all need, is silence. Stop the noise in your mind in order for the wondrous sounds of life to be heard. Then you can begin to live your life authentically and deeply.”
In fact, he wrote a whole book about it: Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise.
In my case the lesson didn't take. There's still too much noise in my mind.
Thank you for reminding me of the power of silence. Have a wonderful week.
This week I will remain silent. Now if I’d not written a comment it might be interpreted as not caring, forgetfulness, brain cramp or old age. So I had to write “remain silent” in order to do so.
Bill,
I found your column entertaining. And yet, ironic too that your Substack voice is being marshaled in the cause of silence, at least silence when appropriate. Of course silence is golden. We learned that along with other sayings and aphorisms when we were kids. I've relearned it over and over in my adulthood, mostly with variations of "Shut up!" and "Will you shut the fuck up?!" I'm much too voluminous a talker to be very good at silence. However, I do like the the aphorism, attributed to Confucius, Lincoln, Mark Twain and others (no one will remain silent on who originally said this, it seems): "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." Tragically, I have embodied the second half of that aphorism for most of my adult life.
At one time, seeking some mental solace, and possibly spiritual enlightenment, if I could get a two-for, I regularly meditated and also read some of the writings of the Vietnamese Buddhist master, Thich Nhat Han. He wrote:
“All the wonders of life are already here. They’re calling you. If you can listen to them, you will be able to stop running. What you need, what we all need, is silence. Stop the noise in your mind in order for the wondrous sounds of life to be heard. Then you can begin to live your life authentically and deeply.”
In fact, he wrote a whole book about it: Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise.
In my case the lesson didn't take. There's still too much noise in my mind.
Thank you for reminding me of the power of silence. Have a wonderful week.
-- JF
Ironic, also, that a duo who made their living making sounds would highlight silence.
This week I will remain silent. Now if I’d not written a comment it might be interpreted as not caring, forgetfulness, brain cramp or old age. So I had to write “remain silent” in order to do so.