One area where we probably often have the chance to be aware of our duplicity is in our speech. We talk so much. How much of what we say do we mean? How much of what we mean do we say? How much does what we say really mean? Suppose one undertook the discipline, well known in monastic tradition, of speaking only what one knew was GIVEN to one to speak? How quiet our homes, our dining rooms, even our churches and places of worship would be. Our society plays very loose with words, with talk; but there is little silence, and silence is where meaning comes from.
I wonder if gratefulness is the
bridge from sorrow to joy,
spanning the chasm of our
anxious striving. Freed from the
burden of unbridled desires, we
can enjoy what we have,
celebrate what we've attained,
and appreciate the familiar. For
if we can't be happy now, we'll
likely not be happy when.
~ Philip Gulley