A Moment of Silence, Please?

The sound of a distant train. The crunching of pebbles. The quiet breeze blowing. The empty mind letting silence do the talking.


Quiet.


In our world, it is quite daring to climb over the wall that separates noise and silence. The idea of shutting up and letting silence speak the words we need to hear seems to take a lot of strength to do. We never get used to the busy life, but somehow we find ourselves attracted to it. Either we feel attracted to it or we feel slowing down will only remove us from any consistency, comfort, or necessity we need to survive. Take any man's career, for example. The man toils and labors nonstop, just to spend the income on things he needs to live; and it does not stop. Everybody goes round and round, never stopping to think to let peace and quiet fill the mind.
It is an interesting presence, silence. Sometimes, we need to shut up and let the Lord speak to us. Even when we are not verbally making noise, the world supplies the noise we are forced to partake in. Everyday, we are dragged out of bed whether we want to or not, feeling the pressure of spending the day productively. When we are silent, letting the whispers of outside noise appease our scattered minds, we find peace; we find God.
How many times do you think about the ground you walk on? How often do you consider the simplicity of the   grass and the complexity of our DNA? What about the sun? Or the infinite stars in the sky?
All of these things can remind us of God's mysterious beauty if we let silence run its course.
So, please, do shut up and let silence do the talking. Let God tell you something you would only hear if you remove yourself from the busy schedule demanded of you. There is something beautiful about that silence, so make time for some silence - maybe check out this video.

The Escapist

Ever wonder why we are given an imagination?

A question that gets placed in the cluttered closet never to be seen again is this one. It is not only forgotten, but it is one of the most underrated questions that people like myself do not find the time to seek out. Of course, there is no conducted study I have done to elicit any truth that people do not explore this idea (the imagination). I have only proceeded to make this assumption with the knowledge that many choose to ignore the deepest questions that make you really stop and think about who you are and why you are the way you are.

Recently (as in the past two weeks), I watched a low-budget film titled "The Escapist." This film was insipid at times, yet relayed a rather ingenious twist at the end of the film. In fact, I would see it again if I had the chance and the time.

However, what really intrigued me about this film was a simple phrase actor Brian Cox said. Unfortunately, I cannot provide proof that it was in the film, or furthermore that Brian Cox said it. However, whether it was actually said or only an audible illusion, it has absolutely no relevance to the fact that this simple quotation (or whatever else it could be) had some sort of impact on my line of thinking.

"Imagination protects you. It keeps you alive."

When life becomes boring and repetitive, our imaginations keep us motivated, makes us try new things, and helps us avoid ordinary thinking. Furthermore, it protects from losing jobs, losing hope, and losing our dignity. If we did not have an imagination, we would not be capable of reviewing the intricacies of life; we would not be able to discuss unearthly ideas. Life would be filled with robotic zombies discussing only what the eyes can see. In fact, since our eyes can also be used as bridges to our supernatural thinking, we would even have trouble focusing one what is in front of us without imagination. Logically, we use our eyes to imagine what we are walking into, from, and around. We imagine what we will see on the other side because of what we have already seen. Imagination is crucial because it keeps us alive. Plain and simple.

But, most importantly, for those who believe in the Heavenly Host, our imaginations allow us to think about our future resting place. We contemplate the "yellow brick road"; the place where our worries, doubts, sins, troubles, and struggles will disappear like the dust in the wind. Our imagination keeps us alive in the moment, but keeps us alive for the future as well.

Don't ever take for granted your ability to imagine. Your imagination keeps you entertained more than any HD plasma screen television can.