Quiet City

This last week I had the opportunity to go away for two days and spend some time on beach. The human heart seeks stillness. I tend to make my life loud enough to drown out the yearning of my heart, but it is there, quietly calling for solitude and peace. How can we bring that message to the city? Henri Nouwen says that, "silence is the home of the word." Which on the surface doesn't seem to make sense, and that shows me how busy and loud I continue to keep my life. Before a word is spoken there must be silence. Our world and culture are continually trying to shorten the amount of silence that is necessary for words to get to our ears. Which is why it is rare for us to hear anything intelligent today. What if we thought more before we spoke? Would we be at war? Would gas cost $4.29 a gallon? Would the world think better of us as a people? Would kids get hurt? Would families stay together? I think a good law would be to think quietly for 5 minutes before we speak. How uncomfortably glorious that would be.