Discuss: Silence Like Scouring Sand

Natural silence is of such a tremendous importance as to gain basic contact with human consciousness – so thank you very much for the effort to raise awareness on natural silence.

Silence is violent - fostering a depth of interiority….......

To respond to an article on silence is like interrupting the silence on one level but I am filled with gratitude and wonder.  A more recent translation of Elijah’s encounter with God describes it as the sound of sheer silence instead of a still small voice.  I think this is more accurate.

Thank you for the wonderful story and bringing this to the attention of others. I praise Gordon on his efforts. I hope that others will find a path that can bring them to appreciate the beauty of natural silence. As you so eloquently point out it is far from silence, it’s a grand symphony. Closing the eyes while surrounded by natural silence one’s ears become filled with the wonder of the natural world. An ever changing soundscape that is priceless in an age where it is all but impossible to escape the noise of man. While some may find demons in the silence it is likely those demons are born from within and the ears are hollow to the healing sounds found in nature. It’s most unfortunate that the vast majority of humans fail to appreciate what we are losing until it is gone. Thank you for the story and to Gordon for his efforts.

I live in Central Maine, and while Kathleen is right that silence is harder to come by in the east these days, I know that there are many places in Maine where there is the kind of silence she describes. I hesitated to stand up for them as the less people know of them the more protected they are. They do exist and I am grateful to live among them.

I enjoyed the article. However, I’ve got to say that if Kathleen Dean Moore and Gordon Hemptor want silence, they should go rafting. I’m an avid rafter and have been on several rivers, many within National Parks, and there is silence to be found. Out there, on the water, watching the birds fly overhead, hearing the woosh of a rapid—you don’t hear the city noise, you don’t hear the motor homes, cars and park visitors. Rarely do I even see other people. That’s the beauty of rafting through Teton National Park, or floating the Salt River or the Owhyee.  It’s quite easy to be overcome by the loudness of silence in these places.
So, while the article does raise awareness, I take issue with the comment that “it’s not easy to find silence in the modern world.” I believe that there are many, many (way more than, say, 12) places, especially in the West, where one can find silence. As Sandy Olson commented, these silent places do exist and I too am grateful to live and play among them.

Harriete, thank you for the translation of Elijah’s encounter with God. Similarly, the proper translation of Job’s encounter with God is not “a voice from the whirlwind” but rather “the voice of the whirlwind”.

Kathleen wrote, “Silence creates an opening, an absence of self, which allows the larger world to enter into our awareness. It brings us into contact with what is beyond us, its beauty and mystery. Silence is not the absence of sounds, but a way of living in the world – an intentional awareness, an expression of gratitude…”

This captures the essence of the indigenous Vision Quest (or wildnerness rite-of-passage), which is an intentional encounter with non-human wildness and mystery to expand awareness and bring both power and humility. Gratitude is the prayer which answers the voice of mystery.

This is a very perceptive description of a scarce phenomenon.  I also would like to add a candidate for another Square Mile—parts of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area along the Minnesota-Ontario border.  Once you are a day or two from your entry-point, especially when SEVERAL portages have been crossed, both the silence and the darkness are palpable and energizing.