Gilmont

The vast majority of people, it turns out, never have an actual hour or even minute of silence in their entire lives. No phone, no music, no talking just silence. And that lack of sound is what attracts so many visitors to silent retreats in Texas , and for first timers, it is much more rejuvenating than anticipated. The concept makes sense on paper. Take a few days in silence, away from all screens and idle chit-chat, with lots of room for thought and prayer or just for spiralling your existence without performing to anyone. The reality though is silence, much easier said than done. Where most of us seek to fill every still moment with something whether that be a podcast, or a scroll or conversation, sometimes when we have nothing in front of us beaks more uncomfortable than peace. That discomfort makes up a part of the process. The first few hours of the weekend are often referred to as The Hardest by spiritual directors who lead these retreats. The first thing a mind does is protest...