12/26/2023
The silence
We Indians know about silence. We are not afraid of him. In fact, for us it is more powerful than words.
Our elders were educated in the ways of silence, and they passed that knowledge on to us.
Watch, listen, and then act, they told us. That is the way to live.
Observe the animals to see how they care for their young.
Watch the elders to see how they behave.
Watch the white man to see what he wants.
Always observe first, with a still heart and mind, and then you will learn. When you've seen enough, then you can act.
With you it's the opposite.
You learn by talking.
They reward children who speak more at school.
In his parties everyone tries to talk. At work they are always having meetings where everyone interrupts everyone, and everyone talks five or ten or a hundred times.
And they call it “solving a problem”.
When they're in a room and it's quiet, they get nervous. They have to fill the space with sounds.
So they speak impulsively, even before they know what they are going to say.
White people like to argue. They will not even allow the other person to end a phrase. They always interrupt. For the Indians this is very disrespectful and even very stupid.
If you start talking, I'm not going to interrupt you. I will listen to you.
I might stop listening to you if I don't like what you're saying. But I'm not going to interrupt you.
When you're done, I'll make my decision on what you said, but I won't tell you if I disagree, unless it's important. Otherwise I'll just keep quiet and walk away.
You have told me what I need to know.
There is nothing more to say.
But that's not enough for most white people.
People should think of your words as if they were seeds.
They should plant them, and then allow them to grow quietly.
Our elders taught us that the earth is always speaking to us, but that we must be silent in order to listen to it.
There are many voices besides ours.
Many voices.
Excerpts from the book “Ni lobo ni perro.
Forgotten trails with an old Indian"
by Kent Nerburn
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