PRACTICAL PSYCHOLOGY CLUB

Evening Star, Issue 22620, 12 April 1937, Page 14

PRACTICAL PSYCHOLOGY CLUB

"THE VALUE OF SILENCE" The subject under' consideration last Thursday evening at the Dunedin Practical Psychology Club was ‘The Value of Silence.’ It was stated that outstanding features of present-day life were noise, hurry, and bustle. This atmosphere of unrest bad a most disturbing effect on man’s mental poise, and reacted disastrously on his physical well being. Those who practised setting aside a part of each day, even if only a few minutes, to sit alone in silence with mind and body relaxed, found that the time was well spent. Psychologists, mystics, and other seekers after truth knew the value of these periods of quietness, for it was

in such times that truth came to man in its greatest clarity and strength. ; Man could, by concentration, by perseverance, and by a knowledge,. of Nature’s laws, learn to rise above all noise and clatter of life, and “ go into the silence,” and to maintain his poise in any environment, it took time to attain this standard of mental control, but it was well worth the effort. I In the silence man’s faith in himself Was restored ; the mists and shadows of; irresolution were cleared away. Refreshed and vitally alert, he returned with joy and zest to the routine of his daily life, with strength to surmount the obstacles that so persistently appeared in life’s pathway. : Some methods of entering the silence wore dealt with, and incidents from the lives of members and well-known personalities were related to illustrate the benefits to be derived from this practice.