10 February 2022 — CONNECTING TO THE SILENCE WITHIN

‘Before you talk, think: Is it necessary? Is it true? It is kind? Will it hurt anyone? Will it improve on the silence?’ (Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

How often do we find ourselves talking simply for the sake of it or because we feel uncomfortable and wish to cover over our feelings?

Often when I overhear people talking it seems to be that they are talking about someone else. I think it is true to say that all of us on occasion have indulged in gossip.

What we often forget is that the faults we are keen to point out in others are very often the behaviour we dislike in ourselves.

One of the questions in the above quote from Sri Sathya Sai Baba asks us to consider whether it is necessary to say what we are imparting to others? And, very often the answer is ‘no’ because we are only talking to fill up the silence. If what we are saying about someone else is kind or praising their attributes then perhaps it is good to express it. The answer to whether it improves the silence is probably not, but unfortunately, many of us, myself included, feel the need to talk when with others if only to discover how they are or to share our experiences with them.

PONDER POINTS: My thoughts on reading the above are…my feelings on reading the above are…. I don’t have a problem with talking for the sake of it because…sometimes I do feel the need to talk for the sake of it because …. I don’t indulge in gossip because … I feel that sometimes I indulge in gossip and have done so when ….