Respect the Wordless Voice

Rumi, the gifted Persian mystic, wrote, “There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.”

That voice is heard when we make love; whenever we love others; when we are kind to people. It is the voice that confirms the authenticity of our relationships.

The voice that doesn’t use words, stirs within us when we struggle to make the right choices. It reminds us of what is good. It warns us of what will harm us or others.

That voice carries, wordlessly, messages in our spirit, in the soul, that urge us to be a better human than we are, to refuse to give in to primitive instincts, haughtiness and meanness, and instead live an exceptional life.

It is the voice of maturity, of personal growth, of emotional depth and discipline.

The voice that does not use words is heard in quiet moments, in times of solitude, when the mind is clear, and the heart is receptive. It is also heard in the face of fear when we hesitate and shy away from what may cost us something but what we know we must do or say.

It is heard in the challenges to our integrity, when it is easy to cross a line at work, in our marriage, in violation of our core beliefs and walk into some momentary pleasure, some ill-gotten gain, some betrayal of our love just to satisfy a selfish desire.

It is the voice that if we listen to it tells us how to enlarge our lives, how to act wider and higher than low standards and self-centered motives.

It is a teaching voice, guiding us toward the light, toward the better, toward the human and the humane.

The voice is clear in the presence of babies, of toddlers and children. It is the voice of innocence, of simplicity. It is the voice of trust. It calls us to feel, to weep, to embrace, to be awed and astonished.

Whenever we walk in nature, climb a mountain, look at the ocean, see a sunset, watch a sky of stars, that voice speaks and sometimes sings. Not in words, not in judgments or lectures or scolding, but in gentle silence, in the wordless power of something so mystical, so loving that it brings us wisdom, healing and rest.

You have experienced something like this, haven’t you? Yes. And so have I. We can’t really define it. It’s beyond morality or religious rules or ethics, and yet, if we listen, it tutors us to follow those exact healthy standards.

The voice that doesn’t use words. We’ve all heard it. It is balance, fairness, foresight, and caution. It is intuition. It is conscience. It is remembrance. It can be ascribed to the divine, to the spiritual, to mystery or the soul or the intellect. But it comes to all of us. It lives within all of us.

In these unstable times, when harsh divisions define us, when chaos and confusion reign around us and within us, when the future of our nation seems uncertain, we must listen.

The voice that doesn’t use words, will lead us beyond our smallness, our pettiness, our rage and prejudices, our stubbornness and vindictiveness, to moments of personal usefulness in society, where we can get along, where we can demonstrate respect for one another, where we can together, and individually, accomplish so much for our nation.

But we must listen and learn, accept the honorable impulses, and then comply.

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The Unclad Soul

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