When we are silent, we can hear the wind in the trees, and the water in the brook, and is this not more eloquent than anything that we ourselves might have to say?
– Thomas Merton
This week we began working with our new Contemplative Leadership Academy online community. As frustrating as some of the technical and logistical startup obstacles were, we are excited to engage in this work again with new participants and to test the contemplative possibilities of a virtual platform.
We are also eager to do this work because we are still convinced that it is good and right and necessary. We still have conversations with others about the difficulty of centering, listening, and finding quiet space at work – not to hide from or shirk duties, mind you, but simply in order to reflect, process, and thoughtfully lead – and of our culture’s reluctance to embrace extended periods of not empty, but reflective silence.
Why is that? Myriad reasons – reasons that we hope to explore in our Contemplative Leadership Academy and elsewhere with others. Contact us if you would like to discuss ways to foster contemplative moments in your work environment. We may have some ideas. We may even be able to assist. But we will also be quiet (for longer than may be initially comfortable). We haven’t checked out, though; we are listening.
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