THE poster above my desk declares, “A meaningful silence is always better than meaningless words”. Each day it reminds me just how powerful silence can be and each day it reminds me of the very significant role that silence plays in all of the great religious traditions.
You find it in the meditative exercises of Buddhism. From the roots of Islam comes the beautiful saying, “Speak only when your words are more beautiful than silence”. The cultivation of ‘silence within’ is ingrained in the Hindu religion. From the Jewish tradition we have the writing of the Psalmist who, as he observes the tumult of nations and the violence of nature, reminds his readers “to be still and in the stillness experience the presence of God”.