Thursday, April 10, 2008

Noble Silence

The Buddhist call any vow of silence, be it an hour or a lifetime "noble silence" a time to truly connect with your inner self. This past Sunday, after some truly idyllic times with my nieces and nephews (pictured below), I went to leave and found my cell phone submerged in water (it would be cruel to reveal the culprit). Instead of having disappointment, I was surprised when I felt only a wind of relief! I check my phone so subconsciously, like most people I know, that most of the time I don't realize what I am doing. The truth of the matter is that I never wanted to be that way! And while I have good cell phone etiquette around others, I still find myself checking it often for text messages and voicemails and find myself having a fluctuation of feelings depending on what I find on that small screen. So, I haven't gotten a new one yet. I am now on day five of my "noble silence" and with that I am taking time to do other things, connect in other ways, make different relationships, and to reach out in ways I haven't for a long, long time....so, if I haven't returned your phone calls....don't expect me to very soon....






9 comments:

Kimbie said...

i wish we lived closer.

Alisa said...

Beautiful pictures and family. I should take a lesson from this and create my own noble silence. My vice is the Internet.

Gustav said...

"Silence is the fence around wisdom"

-German proverb

Chelle said...

I don't care what you say, I like it when you have a phone working. :P

Sunshine said...

Ah yes, I've often thought about this. I always appreciate people who can act on a truth they've discovered for themselves or at least find a way to make two goods exist together who do not naturally do so.

Marie said...

I'm with Alisa. I loathe phones and only got a cell phone to appease my family, but the Internet is the chatter in my life. I was away from computers this weekend and I saw so many things. Outdoor things. Had conversations in real time. And it was good.

Jason and Emily said...

I love Buddhist D'Arcy!! I want more!

Stina said...

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog! I am impressed by your willpower to disconnect from your phone. I just bought an iPod Touch and am scarily becoming one of those people who checks their email as one of the first 5 things they do in the morning after they wake up. I am definitely going to have to put some limits on myself.

Looking forward to meeting you at our next book club meeting!

Hey, It's Ansley said...

Such a cute family!

I think most of us who read/write blogs probably are a bit too obsessed with cell phones, internet, emails, etc. I know I am. I have just started using Google Reader and I like it because I can just check one place to see if blogs I read have been updated. I'm still reading just as many blogs but it feels like I am less tied to the computer somehow. But I still do find myself checking it every hour and sometimes more frequently. *Blushing*

I just got the internet in my new apt and am catching up on all of it. So I feel like a have a purpose for all the surfing right now.