Thought for the week

ENGLISH Heritage’s “hour of contemplation” initiative this autumn means that, for the final hour of opening at several of the charity’s sites, visitors are encouraged to silence their mobile phones, finish their conversations and enjoy the surroundings in contemplative quiet, as the earliest residents did.

It’s an attractive idea, but contemplative quiet is not easy to achieve in the modern age of non-stop communication and entertainment. If I am not speaking to friends on the phone, catching up with my e-mails or watching television I am playing solitaire on my tablet.

I do make an effort to refrain from computer games during Advent and

Lent. It’s actually a relief to give it up for a while. But then, after a few weeks, the compulsion takes over again.

So would it be possible to spend an hour simply contemplating? And what do we mean by contemplation? I suppose people who are used to meditation techniques are able to do it. I admit I find it extremely difficult to empty my mind of its incessant chatter.

Perhaps the answer is to dedicate some time to conscious prayer. A recent survey revealed that young people in the UK are twice as likely as older people to pray regularly. A theory is that the pandemic has led to more people exploring spirituality online and in non-traditional ways.

I have often found prayer to be really helpful when addressing issues in my life, and on one momentous occasion I was given the gift of a transcendent religious experience when praying for a sick friend. I can’t expect that to happen again, but I do continue to pray and continue to find it very helpful. Maybe worth a try?