Ship of Fools: 8th Day: Silence

Thread: 8th Day: Silence Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

I want to suggest a Silence board and I'm up for hosting it.

Topics for inclusion could be:

The still small voice – how to learn to listen; what role it’s played in your life
Why we avoid silence
What there is in silence
Isolation and the psychological effects
Silence is more than just the absence of noise
Whether silence really is golden
Books, websites, DVDs – list of useful reference sites
Quiet meditation techniques and links
Silent religious orders
Sponsored silence – would you or couldn’t you?
Retreats and how they went for you
The positive benefits of learning to be silent
Non-Christian techniques: good, bad, helpful

Etc.

Anyone up for it?

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

code:
 








 

Possibly.

Posted by RooK (# 1852) on :

According to this article, such a board might suggest that the rest of the Ship is equivalent to self-induced electric shocks.

Posted by RuthW (# 13) on :

Another possible topic: silence for those with tinnitus.

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

I like the idea of this board! Going through my thoughts to the still place beyond is incredibly soothing.

quote:
Originally posted by RooK:
According to this article, such a board might suggest that the rest of the Ship is equivalent to self-induced electric shocks.

Mostly men, it would seem. I can arrange the experiment, if you wish. [Devil]

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
Another possible topic: silence for those with tinnitus.

And:

* Silent spaces in worship
* What constitutes "noise" v what criteria mean something is pleasant to listen to
* The two minute silence: useful, challenging, or just a gesture?

Plenty of material for discussion, and the potential to be quite interesting, but two co-hosts would be needed if this is to get off the ground.

[ 24. August 2014, 08:11: Message edited by: Ariel ]

Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :

Love the idea and would potentially be up for co-hosting.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Checking back, I see a board can have just two hosts.

I would be up for contributing to such a board (albeit not hosting).

Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :

Communication without words - through body language, mime, etc. Not exactly the still small voice, but maybe there could be a corner to consider the world of the hearing impaired.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

Non-verbal communication, definitely. Kingsfold, thank you very much, you're in - anyone else want to be a co-host? Room for one more.

We need a name for the board. Off the top of my head, "The Quiet Zone". I'm sure someone can think of something better.

Posted by Thyme (# 12360) on :

I'm interested in the topic, but not hosting.

Linked topics could be the links between silence and solitude.

Also the experience of shared silences, maybe experiment with an online shared silence.

Posted by RuthW (# 13) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Checking back, I see a board can have just two hosts.

A board needs at least two hosts, actually -- it's a minimum, not a maximum.

Posted by Thyme (# 12360) on :

Possible titles

'Elected Silence sing to me'

Or just 'Elected Silence' (Gerard Manley-Hopkins) and also title of Thomas Merton's autobiography.

Or, 'The Silence of Eternity interpreted by love' although this might be too long, could be shortened to 'The Silence of Eternity' John Greenleaf Whittier, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

Posted by Robert Armin (# 182) on :

Careful with that second one Thyme - or the ghost of Ken will rise up and haunt the board!

Posted by MrsBeaky (# 17663) on :

I love the sound of this idea!

Posted by Thyme (# 12360) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Robert Armin:
Careful with that second one Thyme - or the ghost of Ken will rise up and haunt the board!

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

Great idea for a Board and, if there was nobody else, I'd have a go at Hosting it but I am away for a week or more from 16th September although I might, I suppose, pack the internet along with my other stuff and be able to do a little bit occasionally.

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

An absent host might be an ideal host for a board on Silence. [Devil]

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

OK. I have one absent co-host, one possible co-host, am drafting a board intro and have a string of ideas for this.

Proposal: to have a board to discuss the role and challenges that silence plays in life and worship. Why it is often avoided and seen as challenging, etc., and what can be gained from it.

We have had threads on this in Purgatory occasionally and also All Saints from the retreat angle, but I'd like to bring them together in one place. There are potentially quite a lot of topics for discussion and it would be good for them to have their own space to be discussed. Collectively, it could be possible to have spin-off topics which would then not dominate any of the existing boards.

Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :

I'm back now... Brain not completely functioning correctly, but getting there...

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

I have the feeling that the topic of this board is very close to that of the current prayer board (I'm almost tempted to start a thread on silence there), but I'm more than willing to see how it goes!

Posted by Hart (# 4991) on :

quote:
Originally posted by LeRoc:
I have the feeling that the topic of this board is very close to that of the current prayer board (I'm almost tempted to start a thread on silence there), but I'm more than willing to see how it goes!

I had been thinking somewhat the same thing. Why not start a silence-related thread or two on the prayer board to see how it goes?

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I would demur. Silence is the larger topic. It may be associated with some religious practices, but those are just some of the buckets drawn up from the well, not the aquifer itself.

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :

Apart from anything spiritual or meditative, silence can be as much a method of communication as speech.
So, for as much weight as it has, I raise my objection to silence being relegated to an existing board.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
I would demur. Silence is the larger topic. It may be associated with some religious practices, but those are just some of the buckets drawn up from the well, not the aquifer itself.

Thank you. I was thinking the same: the more I look into it, the more I find it's a potentially quite large (and fascinating) topic. The religious element is only a part of it. I would hope to be able to demonstrate some of this if we get this board going.

Posted by Fineline (# 12143) on :

What about silence and solitude - as the two are often linked, and as you are thinking of isolation as one of the subtopics. Many aspects of solitude other than isolation can be explored. There could be threads specifically about various aspects of silence, and threads specifically about various aspects of solitude, and threads about how they are linked.

Posted by IngoB (# 8700) on :

I was going to say that creating a board to discuss silence must be the most ironic 8D idea possible...

...and then Fineline topped that by suggesting to extend its remit to silence and solitude. Well done.

I can just see the post-run analysis:

"The board was a splendid success: There was never more than one person browsing the board, and nobody posted anything!"

[Razz]

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

"Blessed is she who expects nothing, for she shall not be disappointed."

You may be surprised by how wide-ranging a topic it actually can be. I'm compiling a list of possible things, so that if this ever comes off, we'll have something to talk about. I don't think we'll be short of ideas.

Posted by StevHep (# 17198) on :

I have often thought that being on the internet is itself a form of noise because it has the same kind of effect as being distracted by background chatter.

Posted by Fineline (# 12143) on :

quote:
Originally posted by StevHep:
I have often thought that being on the internet is itself a form of noise because it has the same kind of effect as being distracted by background chatter.

I think so too. I find any form of words to be noise, and particularly the interactive form that the internet provides. As I focus more on silence in my own life, I try to spend less time online. Although I don't think that precludes having a forum to talk about such things - sometimes discussing something can clarify things in people's minds, and most people are not going to want to be silent all the time.

Posted by ChastMastr (# 716) on :

Ah, here's the thread. Sorry for my joke earlier on the other 8th Day thread (T & T), but I did immediately think of posters posting long swaths of empty space. [Razz]

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