We are watching a miracle unfold. Never has there been a time in the life of earth when such a thing has been witnessed: An entire species brought, worldwide, to stillness. For the first time ever, billions of people are becoming aware of that stillness, not only in their cities, towns and streets but in themselves.
Of course, there are multitudes who are unable to appreciate this fully because of anxiety and fear or because they are essentially caught up in healing and caring for the sick or vulnerable or maintaining supplies and communications. Yet the overall effect on humankind has the potential for transformation in ways that all our philosophising and religiousity has failed to bring about. This is because our ego-aware perceptions have never been able to realise that the source of wholeness is not found in thought and action but in silence and stillness.
This deep mystery has been recognised by practically every mystical tradition that has ever existed. Only in the natural silence of our own souls can we come to appreciate who we truly are.
That realisation is manifest in loving kindness, and that we are seeing in abundance in communities all over the world. And it’s not contrived, whipped up by media hype or imposed by government edicts. It’s arising spontaneously from hearts and minds everywhere at the same time.
There is talk of ‘returning to normality’, but as someone recently said, “normal didn’t work”. We need a new norm, the norm of which the legendary Chinese sage, Lau Tzu spoke 2500 years ago when he said, “Serenity and peace is the norm of the earth.” This, as we can now witness, is profoundly true. May it become the norm of humankind too.
by Brian Holley
Brian I sent this to a friend whose birthday it is today so I am re-reading it on her site. It is so beautiful. Thank you so much for writing it. I expect it means more now I am grieving the death of my husband and because of the Corona virus I have been alone since his funeral and silence and solitude loom in my life.