My Silent Retreat

[dalebert]

There was some concern from some of my friends who know me well about how difficult it might be for me to remain silent for 24 hours. It wasn't difficult at all, actually. Afterward, I described the experience to fellow friends (Quakers) as feeling very self-indulgent. This video does a better job than I can of explaining why.

YouTube - Leaves are not green

[TackleTheWorld]

Where is the self indulgence in silence or that video?  Oh, enjoying life by seeing and hearing things and not telling others?  Is that it?

[dalebert]

Oh, enjoying life by seeing and hearing things and not telling others?  Is that it?

For a period of time, yes. The idea is that the language centers of our brain abstractualize everything into merely a symbol. It's useful, but it's also good to take some time and try to experience the world without that filter. Then you can talk about it later, as I'm doing now. It's also maximized by being combined with meditation. When you suppress your conscious mind for a while, you can attune yourself better to the other parts of your mind that might have some interesting things to express. It's like having a waking dream.

[Pat K]

Bullshit is also infinite.

[TackleTheWorld]

I could be reading too much, but you seem to use the phrase "self-indulgent" in a derogatory way.
I don't see anything derogatory in being silent or disengaging the conceptual mode.  Do you?

[AntonLee]

I didn't get that from what Dale said.  I felt he was speaking positively about his experience in silence.  I've been going to Meetings, and I was quite skeptical about sitting in a room, for only an hour, in silent meditation.  The multitude of things I thought about, the calmness that came over me was something I enjoy.  My girlfriend used the time to sort out things from her past, and became emotional in the meeting because of it. 

I relate it to when I am taking pictures.  When I was starting out a year and a half ago, I was snapping shots and running back to the car.  Snap a shot, run to the next spot, snap some more.  One day, I came to the realization that I was not actually taking in the beauty of what was around me.  I could feel myself not even smelling the air, and strange as it may sound, wasn't even LOOKING at what it was I was taking pictures of.  After I started going to meeting, someone suggested that they take an hour out of their day to stop and take time to take in their inner peace through all their senses.

I tried it, I tried to stop and smell the roses.  I began to watch the sky before I even got off one shot.  I smell the ocean or mountain air.  I feel the bark of a tree.  I sit there and enjoy life, before I jump back into the craziness that is life.  I've found it to be a quite meaningful experience. 

Self-Indulgent:  excessive or unrestrained gratification of one's own appetites, desires, or whims

I can see what you mean, the definition itself seems derogatory.  If you choose to use the words "Unrestrained" I think it makes it seem less so

[dalebert]

Definitely wasn't meant as derogatory. Taking some time out to be self-indulgent seems like a very healthy thing to do now and then.

Bullshit is also infinite.

Well, we know what you think of dreams, Pat.