To listen…

Silence and the Presence of Everything, an interview with acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempston.

Click HERE

I loved how a friend of mine recently decided to turn down the noise of her life as a first and do-able step to a daily silent practice. Turning down noise can be as simple as deciding not to listen to the radio when getting ready for the day, having 10 minutes without music or taking a walk without headphones in. 

Earlier this week, I listened to a wonderful podcast from OnBeing with Krista Tippet about silence. In it Krista interviewed acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton. It was inspirational listen and I recommend it to you at the beginning of this year as an invitation to turn down the noise of life.

As an attentive listener Gordon says…

…silence is an endangered species on the verge of extinction. 

Take a pause re-read that last sentence and let the words settle.

Welcoming more quiet into our lives he describes as presence – not an absence of sound but an absence of noise and by noise he means man-made sounds. Walking in the woods and being attentive to the sounds that are present, sitting on a beach and listening to the symphony of the waves, hearing the sound of the wind as it rushes through a tree. 

The absence of noise changes us, it makes us better listeners and more grounded, peaceful people. We need it, whether we’re aware of that need or not. 

I extend an invitation to not only listen to this beautiful podcast (you will not be disappointed) but to turn down the noise of your life, if only by a couple of notches. If you live in an urban area and long for the sounds of nature Gordon has many stunning recordings of it from all around the world. 

May this invitation be the beginning of a whole new way of being as you dare to say yes. I can guarantee it will only lead you to good places even if to begin with it feels a little uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Let’s start a silent revolution and do what we can to stop it from becoming extinct.