If you haven't read Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy you are missing out! It is one of the most excellent, well-thought out and relevant books about spirituality that I've ever come across. It's full of good stuff. Here's a bit about the spiritual disciplines of solitude and silence:
"Doing nothing has many... advantages... possibly the gentle Father in the heavens would draw nigh if we would just be quiet and rest a bit. Generally speaking, He will not compete for our attention, and as long as we are 'in charge' he is liable to keep a certain distance" (359).
Willard further writes that in solitude and silence we might "discover beautiful things", among them:
-that you have a soul
-that God is near
-that the universe is brimming with goodness
Other great books that treat this subject are Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation and Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline.
6 comments:
Can't say I practice much solitude...unless you count in the time I'm asleep...I will try it...you forgot to mention if solitude has made you realize you have a soul, that God is near...Well see ya lata...
It is when we perceive that we are in charge that we experience misery to its fullest, for we live for external gratification and happiness, which in itself is a foggy and temporary state. I have lived by Primo Levi's belief on happiness: "Sooner or later in life everyone discovers that perfect happiness is unrealizable, but there are few who consider the antithesis: that perfect unhappiness is equally unattainable." It is that hope that keeps us going in life, but that hope is only found in the depths of solitude and silence--a time when we have given up all pretentions and reverted to a childlike position, ready to become vulnerable and more receptive to our Father's voice.
Oh how I long the times during the day when all I know is vulnerability, for then I become in "charge" no more.
yes... there are brief moments when i have a sense of the spiritual... that I have a soul, and that God is right there... that the universe is brimming with goodness is something i never thought much about; i guess we're so often focused on the falleness of the world, that we forget that when God created the heavens and the earth He declared them to be "good"... That goodness is still there... it's tainted, incomplete, broken, and sick... yet it is still GOOD.
And yes... control is an illusion... yet we so desperately strive to achieve it...
Hey, who is Primo Levi?
Primo Levi was an Italian chemist and writer. He was a Holocaust survivor who wrote various books recounting his experiences: "Survival in Auschwitz;"The Reawakening;" "Moments of Reprieve;" among others.
His writings surpass factual writings, which can sometimes become detached and dry. Rather, he writes with such intensity and passion that thoughout his writings, you can't help grasp his immense hope, and you also learn about the endurance of the human spirit.
This man survived and retold his story in the camps, and he also returned to his career as a chemist. Sadly, (Or ironically) he killed himself at a later age. The cruel "free" world seemed to be more damaging to his spirit that the death camp in Poland. It seems that in this "free" environment--the one that he was fighting to survive for--sucked the hope he had left over.
Thanks for responding... I've read a little bit about him online since...
I've read a little of Elie Wiesel's work... did they know each other?
By the way, do you have a blog? Where can I find out more about you, or check out your writing?
I don't have a blog, but you do know me. I see you every other saturday at bible study. I'm one of the girls--the one with the curly, nappy hair.
By the way, I don't think that Elie and Primo knew each other, but I am just not to sure about that. They might have met later on in life, but I am pretty sure they never met while in the camps. Eli's stay was shorter and he also ended up in another camp.
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