How to Think 5 - Silence Tuesday |
The final habit to cultivate in order to think well, is that of silence. We live in a society where the easy thing to do is live in wall to wall noise. The difficult thing, in that it requires a conscious effort, is to steal away for moments of silence. To think well though, it is not only desirable to take time for silence, I am not sure if it is even possible without it. Perhaps no greater advise could be given to our society in this area than the answer that Job gave to his critics in the midst of his suffering: "If you would only keep silent, that would be your wisdom!" (13:5)
Imagine a jar filled with river water. When it is first drawn and observed, dirt and sand whirl around making it difficult to see through. As the jar is placed on a steady still surface though, in time the dirt and sand settles to the bottom and the water clears considerably at the top. Having the proper information does not automatically mean we know how to use it. We must be still and silent long enough to separate healthy and unhealthy emotion, to let information "settle" and clear thinking rise to the top. Richard Foster writes "If we hope to move beyond the superficialities of our culture, including our religious culture, we must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation." (Celebration of Discipline. Page 15)
Any truth that is worthwhile originates from God's character, but God does not always express Himself through means that come natural to our fallen state (read for example, how God speaks to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13). To think well, we must retrain our ears for the still and small voice of God.
If you have been on this journey with me in learning to think well, you are learning to change your posture to humility and are yearning to learn in such a way that your eyes and ears are open to find what is true and excellent in all of life. Now in this silence, we contemplate what we have read, observed and listened to. In this place, we begin to think well. This is the proper breeding ground where original thought can come forth.*
I once heard of a professor who was visiting an ivy league university to address contemporary issues from a Christian world view. The subject that raised the most controversy was abortion. The Professor asked the students to show with raised hands if they believed abortion was morally correct and ethical. 90% of the hand went up. He then asked each student to take five minutes of silence and to contemplate the act of abortion itself. At first, a few students thought he was not serious but after a few moments, one by one the students began to close their eyes and still themselves. At the end of the five minutes, the professor asked the same question. This time only a few hands went up. A major conclusion about life and death was changed because of five minutes of silence and without any dogma or arguing.
The book of Proverbs counsels us that it is "an intelligent person that remains silent." (11:12) We don't seek to become intelligent people for intelligence sake. None of this is about us, nor is it to serve our needs or egos. It is simply to be like our Lord, that we, like Him, may learn to "increase in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52)" that God may be glorified as we grow in the fullness of who we were created to be.
*By "original thought," I don't mean thoughts that never before existed, rather I mean thoughts that are not overly tainted by contemporary society and that instead come from a deeper place within. Each of us are created as original creations. And as I stated before in a previous entry, in order for the body to function at its best, each member must grow in the awareness of what part they are (their original self). Interestingly, we cannot fully grow into who we are until we to die to self, but that is a whole other thought for a future entry.
Imagine a jar filled with river water. When it is first drawn and observed, dirt and sand whirl around making it difficult to see through. As the jar is placed on a steady still surface though, in time the dirt and sand settles to the bottom and the water clears considerably at the top. Having the proper information does not automatically mean we know how to use it. We must be still and silent long enough to separate healthy and unhealthy emotion, to let information "settle" and clear thinking rise to the top. Richard Foster writes "If we hope to move beyond the superficialities of our culture, including our religious culture, we must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation." (Celebration of Discipline. Page 15)
Any truth that is worthwhile originates from God's character, but God does not always express Himself through means that come natural to our fallen state (read for example, how God speaks to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13). To think well, we must retrain our ears for the still and small voice of God.
If you have been on this journey with me in learning to think well, you are learning to change your posture to humility and are yearning to learn in such a way that your eyes and ears are open to find what is true and excellent in all of life. Now in this silence, we contemplate what we have read, observed and listened to. In this place, we begin to think well. This is the proper breeding ground where original thought can come forth.*
I once heard of a professor who was visiting an ivy league university to address contemporary issues from a Christian world view. The subject that raised the most controversy was abortion. The Professor asked the students to show with raised hands if they believed abortion was morally correct and ethical. 90% of the hand went up. He then asked each student to take five minutes of silence and to contemplate the act of abortion itself. At first, a few students thought he was not serious but after a few moments, one by one the students began to close their eyes and still themselves. At the end of the five minutes, the professor asked the same question. This time only a few hands went up. A major conclusion about life and death was changed because of five minutes of silence and without any dogma or arguing.
The book of Proverbs counsels us that it is "an intelligent person that remains silent." (11:12) We don't seek to become intelligent people for intelligence sake. None of this is about us, nor is it to serve our needs or egos. It is simply to be like our Lord, that we, like Him, may learn to "increase in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52)" that God may be glorified as we grow in the fullness of who we were created to be.
*By "original thought," I don't mean thoughts that never before existed, rather I mean thoughts that are not overly tainted by contemporary society and that instead come from a deeper place within. Each of us are created as original creations. And as I stated before in a previous entry, in order for the body to function at its best, each member must grow in the awareness of what part they are (their original self). Interestingly, we cannot fully grow into who we are until we to die to self, but that is a whole other thought for a future entry.