The Silent Life

The Catholic Book Club | Hardback | ISBN: None | Condition: Good Sold by Crappy Old Books ? Where Silence Is Golden, Contemplation Is Admirable, and the Bookseller Is Unfortunately Still Talking. There are people in this world who cannot endure five minutes without making a noise. They turn on the television while eating breakfast, listen to the radio while driving, and spend their evenings watching other people shout at one another about things that neither party properly understands. Then there are monks, who have somehow arrived at the extraordinary conclusion that the best way to improve human existence is to stop talking, withdraw from the general chaos, and devote themselves to God. Thomas Merton, celebrated Trappist monk, spiritual writer and one of the twentieth century?s more thoughtful observers of mankind?s peculiar behaviour, explores this second approach in The Silent Life . Originally published in the 1950s, this 1975 Catholic Book Club edition offers a fascinating introduction to the contemplative monastic tradition: a world of prayer, solitude, disciplined labour and an almost suspicious absence of pointless conversation. For anyone who has ever attended a committee meeting, endured a neighbour?s opinions about parking arrangements, or found themselves trapped beside a particularly enthusiastic conversationalist on public transport, the monastic life may immediately seem rather attractive. But Merton is not suggesting that monasteries are simply convenient refuges for people who dislike their relatives. His subject is considerably more profound: the spiritual purpose of monastic existence, the historical development of religious communities, and the extraordinary commitment required to devote one?s entire life to contemplation. It is a commitment that rather puts our own efforts at self-discipline into perspective. Most of us struggle to go without biscuits for an afternoon. A monk may undertake a lifetime of poverty, chastity, obedience and regular prayer, with no prospect of a promotion, a company car or even a particularly exciting Christmas party. Through his examination of monastic history and spirituality, Merton considers the traditions that shaped Christian religious life, including the influence of the desert fathers, the Rule of St Benedict and the contemplative ideals that developed within the great monastic orders. These were communities established around the proposition that withdrawal from the distractions of the world could lead to a deeper engagement with spiritual reality. This is rather different from withdrawing from society because somebody has annoyed you on Facebook. Indeed, the paradox at the centre of the monastic vocation is that those who apparently abandon the world do not necessarily cease to care about it. Their prayers, contemplation and spiritual discipline are understood as contributions to the wider Christian community. The monk may have little interest in the latest political scandal, but his retreat is not intended as an act of indifference towards humanity. Merton is particularly well placed to explain such ideas, having entered the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky in 1941. Before embracing monastic life, he had experienced considerably more of the ordinary world?s temptations and distractions than might be expected of someone subsequently committed to silence and contemplation. His spiritual autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain , brought him international recognition, making him the rather unusual spectacle of a famous monk. There is something splendidly ironic about becoming internationally renowned for withdrawing from public life. Most celebrities spend their entire careers desperately seeking attention. Merton attracted it by choosing a vocation in which attention was largely beside the point. Nevertheless, The Silent Life is not a celebrity memoir, nor is it a romantic account of picturesque monasteries populated by cheerful gentlemen producing excellent.…