Practicing silence as a doorway to inner transformation has also led to other wonderful changes in my life, confirming my belief that our inner and outer worlds are linked in more ways than we can understand. I am a devoted fan and advocate of silence. For sometime now, I have gently supported and enabled silence in the lives of others who are a part of my life's journey, such as by starting my classes with a minute of silence or telling my friends about the silent yoga class I have enjoyed for several years now.

This morning, I came across the following quote: 
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Are there times when silence is not the answer? When is it important to actually speak up? How do we know when to speak up? Last week's Awakin reading (www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=1015) offered an example where the author Mary chose to remain silent when someone hit her as she swam in a pool. Where Mary chose to remain silent under attack, I found that in her situation, I wanted to find my courage and the right words to speak up.

Like Mary, I believe that reacting to violence is not productive. If someone is acting violently, I like to see them as someone who is in pain, unable to bear it, so lashing out and giving it to others. Offering them some compassion and love is the only way I know to shift their energy. One of Munshi Premchand's beautiful short stories is about how anger is just disguised hurt.

Putting myself back in Mary's swim story, I found that when hit, instead of being silent like Mary, I wanted to let the hitter know that I was hurt by their action. The intention in speaking up was not to blame, not to seek redressal, and definitely not to seek revenge. It was to simply speak my truth, calmly and compassionately. Letting the hitter know that they are strong and powerful, and capable of causing injury and suffering is a compassionate thing to do.

Silence is not a panacea. If it matters, I want the courage and presence to tell my truth. I want to speak up without blame, injury or hurt to another. I do not judge the other as evil or aggressive. Letting the hitter in the pool know that I am hurt because their blow was strong is restorative of their own awareness of their power. Speaking up does not have to be a confrontation of their action or the person. It is simply accepting my pain and letting the hitter into my community by communicating the impact of their action on me.
Has silence ever been used as a way for you to be excluded?