Cultivate Silence

Noise blocks communication. In order to hear, we have to empty ourselves from within, remove prejudices, give up the self-centeredness that fills us and love with humility.

Noise blocks communication. Without a doubt, outside noise exists, but the worst noise is the inner noise: prejudices, preconceived ideas, wounds, grudges, dreams, and fantasies. They are disturbances that do not let us deal with reality, with other people, and, especially, with ourselves. How often does a bitter memory from the past keep us from listening to someone simply because we are on the defensive or because we think we may get hurt again! How many labels we place on others and on ourselves! He who is full of himself is unable to hear silence. In order to hear, we have to empty ourselves from within, remove prejudices, give life space, give up the self-centeredness that fills us and love with humility. And to talk with God we have to practice the virtue of silence, not by looking up at the skies, but instead by discovering Him within ourselves, in others, and in the things that happen to us.