It was a coincidence
that I read these two reflections on Silence so close together. They
explore different contexts of silence – Brueggemann silence in the
political and social realm, Laird silence in the personal and
spiritual.
One argues for the
breaking of silence, the other for the holding of ever deeper
experience of it.
If I am honest I
didn’t get on that well with either book, while nevertheless
agreeing with the essence of the point both were making.
I found Brueggemann,
who is generally a wise and subtle writer, rather shouty – there
was too much about confrontation – it seemed to suggest that it is
easy, just speak out and you will be heard and the world a better
place. It didn’t do enough to explore the subtle ways in which
silence falls, how you are tempted to keep quiet, how the voices of
many are denied.
However the power of
silence as a means of control, a tool that favours the powerful and
the status quo, is clear – and I would entirely agree that “There
is no practical area in the life of the church in which reform is
more urgent than in the church’s propensity (in all of its
manifestations)to silence.”
Laird is offering a
practical guide for the development of contemplative practice – how
you can build up toward the the holding of times of sustained silence
(during which God might speak).
He uses an
interesting image, that “a gardener does not actually grow plants.
A gardener practices certain gardening skills that facilitate growth
that is beyond the gardener’s direct control.” This can be
applied to much Christian ministry – we are probably comfortable
saying that the Priest does not “convert” people but practices
certain skills that facilitate “conversion”. We can also talk
about prayer in these terms – we don’t actually “pray” but
instead engage in certain practices that allow prayer to happen. It is
less about me praying TO
God, but prayer being a time of communication between me and God.
I
would also agree with Laird when he concludes that “sadly much
liturgical prayer is often hopelessly cerebral, self-conscious,
verbose, and distracted...”
He
later says that there “is a certain wisdom that settles into a life
that does not attempt to control what everybody else ought to be
thinking, saying, doing, or voting on.” This would appear to be a
state of being that is almost the exact opposite of Facebook and
social media…
I
guess what a struggled with was the way it felt that Laird was
prescribing a particular set of practices to everyone, regardless of
their context or their personality type. I would agree with the
objective, creating space for God to speak, for God to take us by
surprise – but I think perhaps there is room for other methods –
for some of us our brains are perhaps just too restless for sustained
silence – they need something to do to stop the thoughts going
round and round and chasing their tails.
