My dad and I were having a conversation about getting caught up in too many things and not taking the time to just stop, remain still, and listen to silence.
In our lives, we encounter an awful lot of noise. Lots of advertising. When I say advertising, I am talking about more than just marketing, but the noise of 4.5 billion other humans trying to advertise their point of view. People who will wisely just keep their mouth shut long enough to listen are few and far between.
My dad is someone who will listen and learn. He will pay attention to experience, and the inner signal that he tunes into so that he can block out all of the noise. It’s one of his strengths. It’s one of the strengths he’s passed onto me.
I’ve watch countless people add noise, but few who can actually receive any signal. Even fewer still know what to do with the signal once they have received it. We need less noise, and more signal. The more of us that receive signal, the more understanding, as a society, we can achieve.
Dad passed this phrase onto me. “Be still, and know that I am God.”
The key to tuning into the signal is to be still. To turn of the TV, the music, put down the newspaper, put the computer to sleep and simply sit in quiet contemplation of whatever it is that you feel you need to contemplate. Let inspiration from The Unseen and the Unheard begin to fill you. You may not know what you are receiving at first, and that’s fine. Its meaning will eventually find you if you persist.
Some of my most important moments in life have happened in a quiet place, when my mouth was firmly shut and I was immersed in the silence of the moment. One experience was when I held my first baby girl in the hospital to feed her a bottle. It was quiet in our room, my wife was asleep and I just stared at this silent little creature with wide eyes. It was perfect peace.
Another moment was waiting to enter the room where my wife and I would be married. We sat silently together, saying nothing, until we looked at each other and said, “I know this is right. I have no doubt.” We’ve never looked back. We’ve never wondered if we were with the right person after that.
I’ve never made an important decision at a rock concert, during a movie, or while reading the newspaper. I’ve never had an inspiring, meaningful thought during a football game, while playing video games or while trying to meet a deadline at work. It’s only been in the moment of silence, listening to my inner signal that I’ve been able to do those things.
So shut your pie-hole, put your ego on pause, and ignore the chatter. Find a quiet place and just be still.
