Silent analysis
THE PATRIOT Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.
In all parts of the world, people celebrated the start of 2019. In the Philippines, there were festive parties, colorful countdowns and, of course, lots of fireworks. Most people I know grew up with the superstitious belief that each year must be met with lots of lights and noise. For good luck, they say. When I was much younger, I jumped as high as I could at the strike of midnight of each new Year’s Eve. For me to grow taller, my father would say.
People generally celebrate January 1 but not December 31. They usually welcome the New Year with much anticipation and excitement. Most people I know hardly reflect on the past year with the mindset that what has been done can no longer be undone. Most people prefer to look ahead at the future instead of dwelling on the past. I have been doing the same for the past many years.
At the end of each year, my sister Irene Mison-Estores has consistently been sharing significant events that occurred during the past year with her family and network of friends. She does this by way of a narrative, either in poetic prose or a journal type of announcement. Gifted with excellent writing skills, Irene could have been one great journalist fulfilling her youthful aspirations. But, following the suggestion of our father, my sister Irene is now a doctor in rehabilitation
medicine, who, from time to time, gives me tips as to how to fix and minimize my frequent lower back problems. Given her limited time to write, her writing prowess is manifested in these newsletters disguised as holiday greeting cards whose consistent theme is love, joy and peace. But I think my sister’s underlying message in her annual newsletters is one of gratitude. It is her unique yet creative way of thanking God for all the events in the past year.
I encourage everyone to have some kind of reflection as each year comes to a close, similar to my sister’s annual habit. Let’s ref lect on the past events in our lives—good and bad—with a joyful heart. Just as it was written in Ecclesiastes 7:14, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.” Such events were sent our way for a purpose. While some of my friends still do the traditional fireworks, others go to church services before midnight of December 31, as their way of giving thanks for all the blessings sent their way. What I recently found to be surprisingly effective in terms of giving thanks for the past year was to lay still and sit in silence.
In the book, Power of Silence, author Graham Turner shared the different benefits of silence as practiced by priests, monks and other men of faith, as well as musicians, actors, hikers and campers, psychotherapists, and even freedom fighters in war-torn Lebanon. Stephen Venables, the first Briton to reach the summit of Mount Everest, alone and without the aid of oxygen, said: “Silence means that everything is still and safe. It’s what I want. It has never intensified anxiety in me when I was alone.” Amid all the noise heard as people greeted the New Year with a bang, solitude is one place where profound silence connects us to our soul. Somehow, silence can remind our inner selves that everything is fine, true of the words of Venables. Silence can also become a valuable companion and a source of inspiration, as Turner said. Contrary to what most people think about silence as a form of emptiness, Turner discovered that silence is filled with powerful gifts that most people miss out on.
Silence allows the soul to regain balance by allowing the Holy Spirit within us to reenergize, revitalize and recalibrate our restless minds and tired bodies at the end of each year. Silence also helps us to have a different mental perspective of burdens—things that bring havoc on our inner peace. Sitting quietly in peaceful meditation allows God to unearth the pain within us in order to heal it and fix it. Most important, silence prepares us to receive gifts of love, joy and peace—the same gifts that my sister Irene wishes her family and friends at the end of each year through her newsletters. In the Bible, Exodus 14:14 tells us “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Each year will always be filled with struggles. In silence, gratitude comes out naturally knowing that these constant struggles bring us valuable lessons in life.
A friend, who binges on all kinds of Netflix television series, once told me that each end of every episode allows her to briefly pause and comment on what just happened. In her thoughts, she has an endgame analysis while anticipating or predicting what will happen in the next episode. Like a television series, the end of each year happens to be a logical segue to the next. We should make use of these short gaps between each year in gratitude in whatever way possible. Try some moments of silence. So, instead of just happily greeting each other “Happy New Year,” we can also whisper and tell ourselves, “Thank You Past Year.”