Without Balance, We Fall
Solitude + Silence = Balance
Being silent (about any given cause) online (or in person) doesn’t imply consent.
There is plenty to be said about valuing solitude and silence to achieve balance over nonstop noise and shouting. Refraining from shouting is more necessary than ever in these noisy and contentious times. I applaud the many writers who make sense of the chaos and divisiveness in our world and write not only eloquently but also change hearts and minds. The root of being human is wanting to be heard and seen. I get it. I was the tenth youngest of twelve in my family, and shouting felt like a birthright. It took decades to learn how to say less to mean more.
The thing is, we can’t listen when we’re shouting. And since there is more noise than ever online, most of it troubling and manipulated, you don’t need me to remind you that this is problematic.
We need silent energy more than ever. Silent energy is essential for balance. Because without balance, we fall.
I’m sharing some thoughts and examples of how saying less in writing, painting, and social media can create a profound impact. Enjoy.
Had I not been sitting alone with my thoughts on the back patio facing the woods as the sun bathed its final sparks of joy over the tree canopy, I wouldn’t have heard the first bleat of summer or the zipping rush of the Rufus hummingbird’s wings above my head at the feeder.
After reading Marloes De Vries’s essay, Is the end of social media near? She pulled many of the exact words she wrote directly from my brain, making me realize how much time I spend with my face on my noisy and addicting screen and how I miss human connection in real life. Our brief exchange is below.
”You don’t need to shout in order to make an impact.”
Celia Paul on Gwen John’s (1876-1939) Self-Portrait (oil, 1902), as heard on The Great Women Artists podcast by Katy Hessel, during Chloe Aridjis on Leonora Carrington interview.
John’s lover, the French sculptor Auguste Rodin, considered the founding father of modern sculptors, shadowed her work, as did her younger brother Augustus John, who in the 1920s was on the cover of TIME magazine and was considered one of Britain’s preeminent portrait painters. But it’s Gwen John’s soft and muted tones of paintings of anonymous females that speak the loudest. Like many artists before and after her, her work has gained a reputation since her death. John wrote, in an undated letter, "I should like to go and live somewhere where I met nobody I know till I am so strong that people and things could not effect me beyond reason."
Balance equals a steady, much-needed Sunday morning rain.
There is more grey in the world, even though it seems as if everything is black and white, figuratively and, at times, literally.
“…See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence...We need silence to be able to touch souls.”
~ Mother Teresa
Thanks for being here and reading. Your support matters to me. As always, drop me a comment, tap that heart, or reply to this letter to keep things private. I love hearing from you. I hope you find a way to stay balanced. Namaste.
Maureen xo
Stay curious. Stay safe. Make an impact.