Say Nothing

There is the story of the nephew who had inherited the wealth of his father. As soon as he did he began to spend freely in wild living. His uncle, the master, heard of this and decided to visit him. When he arrived he was made most welcome by his nephew. He could see that the stories he had heard were true. He said nothing simply meditated as usual and spoke kindly to him. The next morning the master called his nephew.” I am getting very frail and shaky,” he said “Can you help me tie the lace of my sandal?” The nephew you did just that. The old man then said to him, “Old age comes to us all, I am so glad I lived a good life or things might have been so much worse.” He said no more, thanked him for his hospitality and left.


Although he in fact said nothing, the nephew changed his ways and the uncle grew to be proud of him as well as very fond.

I spoke the other day of my inflicted term of silence. Six months of being unable to speak is a frightening experience for one who uses their voice to provide for his family. It was for me a time to think and to assess. Nobody needed to say anything to me about my life. I had all the time in the world to say it to myself. It is often easily misunderstood

I have often said before that I can be guilty of putting the mouth into action without first engaging the brain. This is true but nearly as often as prior to my time of silence.

Like the nephew it is good to take stock now and then. To ask, “Where is it I am heading, where am I going?” This need not be as drastic as it was for the nephew, or for that matter for me. Nevertheless, we cannot just go on and on doing the same thing day in and day out. Or can WE?



This blog is linked to my other blog where I discuss the artwork used:- From a Distance