Within each of us there is a silence, by gunilla norris

“Within each of us there is a silence

—a silence as vast as a universe.

We are afraid of it…and we long for it.

When we experience that silence, we remember

who we are: creatures of the stars, created

from the cooling of this planet, created

from dust and gas, created

from the elements, created

from time and space…created

from silence.

In our present culture,

silence is something like an endangered species…

an endangered fundamental.

The experience of silence is now so rare

that we must cultivate it and treasure it.

This is especially true for shared silence.

Sharing silence is, in fact, a political act.

When we can stand aside from the usual and

perceive the fundamental, change begins to happen.

Our lives align with deeper values

and the lives of others are touched and influenced.

Silence brings us back to basics, to our senses,

to our selves. It locates us. Without that return

we can go so far away from our true natures

that we end up, quite literally, beside ourselves.

We live blindly and act thoughtlessly.

We endanger the delicate balance which sustains

our lives, our communities, and our planet.

Each of us can make a difference.

Politicians and visionaries will not return us

to the sacredness of life.

That will be done by ordinary men and women

who together or alone can say,

"Remember to breathe, remember to feel,

remember to care,

let us do this for our children and ourselves

and our children's children.

Let us practice for life's sake.”

― Gunilla Norris

• What does it mean to you when you read the words, “Sharing silence, is, in fact, a political act?” Reflect in your journal.

• Write the word SILENCE down the page vertically. Each letter in the word begins a new line or word of poetry. What does your Alphabet poem reveal about your relationship to silence?

• Where to you find pockets of silence? Where do you “locate” yourself again? Write a sketch of a place where you experience that quiet, deep connection. A forest glade, your local yoga studio, a favorite park?

Photo by Sami Matias Breilin