To honor the 50th Anniversary of the first Earth Day, and in recognition of the continuing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Encountering Silence's own Cassidy Hall joins with her colleague at Transcendental Media, Patrick Shen, to announce two special, limited-time opportunities: The movie In Pursuit of Silence — the documentary film that inspired this podcast — is streaming free during this time of crisis, as a gift from the filmmakers to help each of us embrace what this unprecedented season offers. Click here to stream In Pursuit of Silence. The companion book to the film, Notes on Silence, is also available for a limited time for only $2.99 (Kindle edition). Click here to purchase Notes on Silence for $2.99. For today's episode of the podcast, Patrick joins us to speak about the movie, how its message is more important than ever in our world today, and offers some insight into new initiatives he is working on, including a collaborative film project celebrating silence at the break of day called the Dawn Chorus. If we could all learn the work of silence we’d take an awful lot of pressure off of our planet, in terms of ecology, because we wouldn’t be addicted to consumption. And, we wouldn’t be wasting what we waste. … there wouldn’t be this constant seeking seeking seeking for something else to fill up that empty space, when what will fill up the empty space is actually going into the empty space. Again, it’s a paradox. To fill up that empty space, you need to go into the spaciousness of your silence that lives in your heart. 

— Maggie Ross Meme recently seen on Facebook, which Carl alludes to in this episode. …The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone and everything is to succumb to violence. More than that, it is cooperation in violence. The frenzy of the activist neutralizes his work for peace. It destroys his own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of his own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful….  —Thomas Merton To hear our previous episodes featuring Patrick Shen, click here and here. A lot of the white noise of the world has fallen away, many of us are hearing our own voices for the first time, we're certainly much louder than before, and I think the film provides some helpful context. — Patrick Shen Some of the resources and authors mentioned in this episode: Patrick Shen (director), In Pursuit of Silence — for a limited time, stream for free at watch.pursuitofsilence.com Cassidy Hall and Patrick Shen, Notes on Silence Maggie Ross, Silence: A User's Guide, Volume 1 Charles Taylor, A Secular Age George Prochnik, In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise Thomas Keating, Open Mind Open Heart Howard Cosell, I Never Played the Game Martin Laird, Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation Macrina Weiderkehr, Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day Johann Baptist Metz, A Passion for God: The Mystical-Political Dimension of Christianity Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander Julio Vincent Gambuto, Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting Episode 98: In Pursuit of Silence, Earth Day, and the Dawn Chorus: A Conversation with Patrick Shen Hosted by: Kevin Johnson With: Cassidy Hall, Carl McColman Guest: Patrick Shen Date Recorded: April 20, 2020