RuthAnnHarnisch.com

Shut Up. No, Really, Shut Up.

by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 01/08/10 at 9:59 am

Day 8

I used to take money to talk – on the radio, on television, on stage. 

These days, I don’t talk much, and during my sabbatical, I’m talking even less.  I am conscious of opportunities for silence, and I embrace them. I turn off the television, the speaker on the computer, and switch the phone to DND (Do Not Disturb). 

It’s amazing what can be heard in “silence.”

This is why some religious orders keep silence, of course, and many people enjoy going on “silent retreat” weekends.  I’m glad many of you are communicating with me silently – I appreciate your comments!  Kerryn Griffiths* told me about the mini-sabbatical experiences that she and a partner offer in Australia .  At these retreats, the website says,  ”silence is held until lunchtime” each day and if you decide to refrain from talking even when silence is broken, that decision will be respected and supported.

 What a relief it is not to be expected to speak!  For a little while, at least.

People of a certain age will remember the summer of 1980 when Larry Hagman  was the hottest celebrity in the USA. At the height of frenzy surrounding this cultural obsession , I emceed one of his public appearances. Someone tore my dress trying to fight past me to get to him – that’s how crazy it was.

Even then, when he was at the top of his earning power, he kept silence one day every week, usually Sunday.  It was his discipline. What he learned about himself and others in the silence was priceless to him, and not for sale. He wasn’t fanatical and he could adjust – that’s why “usually” Sunday. But he didn’t like to sell his silent time. The bigger he got, the bigger his benefit from the silence.

I started writing this note on silence last week, and I didn’t finish it – but I’m glad, because in the meantime, I saw a tweet from Andrea J. Lee quoting someone else: “Never miss a good chance to shut up,” along with the acronym WAIT – “Why Am I Talking?”

So today I invite you to join me as I notice  silence, appreciate it, and create it. I will go longer periods of time without speaking. And when I do open my mouth, I’ll ask myself: WAIT – Why Am I Talking?  Does what I have to say improve upon the silence ?

Shhhhhh (Sabbatical In Progress)

*Kerryn Griffiths is a contractor of The Harnisch Foundation.