This week our conversation with Quaker activist, author, and educator Parker J. Palmer continues. Please listen to Part One (Episode 33) if you haven't already done so. In this week's episode, we explore the question of how sometimes silence can be toxic (a "silencing" rather than the silence that frees), and how Quaker spirituality has informed Palmer's relationship with silence.  He examines the difference between "adversarial listening" and "consensual decision-making" which embraces silence as a way to foster community and healthy relationships. Perhaps most moving of all is Palmer's heartfelt story about who is "silence hero" is. One of the great things about poetry, the reason it's so appealing to people who are on a spiritual quest, is that there's a lot of space and a lot of silence between the lines, and between the words... poetry and silence have a great relationship to each other. — Parker J. Palmer Palmer's deeply contemplative approach to silence, to education, to politics, and to vocation make his voice more important than ever as we seek to navigate the challenging issues of our time. Some of the resources and authors mentioned in this episode: Parker J. Palmer, On the Brink of Everything Parker J. Palmer, The Courage to Teach Parker J. Palmer, Healing the Heart of Democracy Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness Parker J. Palmer, The Promise of Paradox Parker J. Palmer, The Active Life Thomas Merton, The Intimate Merton: His Life from His Journals Thomas Merton, The Sign of Jonas Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander Thomas Merton, Zen and the Birds of Appetite Thomas Merton, The Asian Journal Thomas Merton, The Way of Chuang Tzu Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude Richard Rohr, Silent Compassion Wendell Berry, What I Stand On: The Collected Essays Wendell Berry, The Selected Poems Wendell Berry, The Memory of Old Jack Wendell Berry, Hannah Coulter Mary Oliver, "When Death Comes" found in Devotions: The Selected Poems Wendell Berry, "How to be a poet" found in New Collected Poems Thich Nhat Hanh, Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise The Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness Henri Nouwen, The Wounded Healer Episode 34: On the Brink of Silence: A Conversation with Parker J. Palmer (Part Two) Hosted by: Cassidy Hall With: Kevin Johnson, Carl McColman Guest: Parker J. Palmer Date Recorded: July 13, 2018