Sheila Smith / Going Back

During the discussion of transition it strikes me that that going back is what we have been doing here all along. Going back to the land, back to echoes of a simpler life. But more than that, in a parallel process, creating a new metaphorical relationship with the land. Going back to a closer relationship with the land and re-making the meanings that the land suggests. Discarding our old hyperinflated and debased language and reinterpreting our lives through a landbased currency we minted ourselves. By taking it down a notch or two we recalibrate our personal economies. We create a new economy of language and meaning.

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There are 3 comments on Going Back:

  1. Pam Hamilton :

    Interesting to read this section of your blog. How much did the new minted economy / currency come from the silence and the space to think? There is a fascinating programme on just now on Silence and it gives the record of 5 people who experience prolonged silence. I think there are 4 programmes and only two have been shown. How much can you attribute the change in economy and understanding to the use of silence, I wonder?

    November 3rd, 2010 at 11:11 am
  2. Sheila Smith :

    I caught up with the first two episodes of The Silence yesterday and was amazed at the resonance with my solo experience: how at first there was a rejection of the idea of silence and then an embracing of it. Out of all the different forms of distraction and toxicity I have been aware of since I got back from Knoydart, noise pollution is the most intrusive. I agree with you that silence is a very powerful recalibration tool. Silence allows a space to open up for stuff you otherwise never get to. It also highlights for me how we construct and interact with the world primarily through language even when there is no-one to speak to. The challenge is to make more space for it in our daily lives. I have been driving to work without the distraction of the car radio and finding the silence quite meditative.

    November 6th, 2010 at 8:52 am
  3. Rosa :

    Hi Sheila

    I watched the Great Silence and like you was amazed how it resonated with my experience in Knoydart. I have seen this type of programme before and indeed I have spent time studying Jesuit spirituality howver I understood the process with a new depth because of the silence of the solo day and night. There is no doubt silence is a powerful medium for us and one that is underused. Like you I am thinking about how I can develop a silence into my life and at the moment the monastery is looking quite attractive!

    November 8th, 2010 at 12:42 pm

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