Les Henson
Silence is sometimes hard to find unless we deliberately seek it out. We live in a world of continuous noise in this digital and technological society, and unless we actively seek quietness and silence, it will not come our way. Silence can become part of our life but only if we want it. Indeed, we need silence perhaps more than any other generation that has preceded us. So, what steps do we need to put in place to make silence an integral part of our lives? Well, it will be different for each one of us.
Maybe the best way to begin is to deliberately set aside moments throughout our day where we take a minute or two out of the busyness of our life. Set aside one or two minutes two or three times in the day to sit with our eyes closed and be silent. By making this a regular part of our lives, then we will be better equipped to handle the rest of our day. An additional approach is to learn a mindfulness technique that helps us unwind and relax. Once we have mastered such a technique, we will be able to relax and develop times of reflection that will invigorate our day. Finally, a spiritual retreat once or twice a year would be helpful; while it may take time to master, it will help us cope with life's busyness. It best to start with a two-day retreat and build up to a week-long retreat. A spiritual advisor may guide a retreat, or it can be an unsupervised personal retreat; either way, once you get into the rhythm of retreating, it can become an essential part of your life, fulfilling the need for silence and stillness.
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