Image: Darren Robb/ Getty Images
Authors
While the bad-news barrage of the current era might seem unprecedented, the global situation has been this ragged at other times in history. Consider Gandhi’s world. As the leader of a grueling independence campaign that spanned the duration of two world wars, he had to contend with raucous discord within in his own movement, massacres at the hands of the British, and news from abroad of genocide and atomic bombs.
Still—if anyone could stay simultaneously engaged and calm—it was him.
When people asked Gandhi how he kept his equilibrium and clarity amidst his circumstances, he often described a simple practice for finding silence. Every Monday, through all his years as a prominent public figure, Gandhi observed a “day of silence.” He didn’t necessarily spend the whole day meditating. But he didn’t speak a word. He let go of the responsibility of having to offer opinions or make decisions, so that he could listen deeply and clarify what was important to him.
Gandhi didn’t live as a total monk on Mondays. Given the requirements of his life as a movement leader, he sometimes had to step away from meditation to receive visitors or even attend events. But he still didn’t speak.
For him, silence wasn’t just a strategy for maintaining his own calm and resilience. It was also a core element of his approach to political leadership—and even his rhetoric.
Comments (0)