Faith + Reason = Truth

In keeping with the "language as a barrier to nowness" theme, let's take a look at finding things. One can ask for something, or one can look for, or "seek," something directly. When I'm already late and I go for my keys on the key ring and they're not there, I can either yell out to anyone in the house within earshot "where are my keys?" and hope for a simple "on the kitchen counter next to the coffee maker," or I can look for them myself. Communicating my query to someone else may work, and it may work more quickly and with less effort than actually seeking them out myself.  However, in my experience, it's more likely that I won't be heard at all due to other competing noise, or I'll be misunderstood, or no one else will know any more about the location of my keys than I do.  In which case I've just wasted a little time and effort and gotten no closer to the objective of knowing where my keys are.  Maybe I would have been better off just silently and efficiently looking for them while focusing on that and that alone, rather than on diluting my attention and locating abilities by wondering "why isn't anyone answering me?" or "why don't they know?" or "who moved them and why?"

Similarly, people tend to think of prayer as "talking to God." That could not be farther from the truth, in my opinion - what could you possibly have to say to God that would be worth His (Its) attention?  If one could focus on listening, or contemplating, or experiencing, nowness with God, rather than on what words are swimming around in one's head, then one might actually gain something of extraordinary value.

Yet another example is in communicating with other people: are you actively seeking to know, to understand, the other person's thoughts or needs, or are you intent on disseminating yours? Either way, what do you think makes you more interesting and desirable to be around as far as the other party is concerned (hint: again, no words or thoughts of your own need to be cluttering your mind).  The more you actively listen and engage with a lot of head nodding and "uh huh" and "REALLY?", the more interesting you become to the other person.

When someone wants to know what you think, share it with them. When you have something you need to convey, or that you feel the other party would somehow benefit from knowing, then by all means communicate it! But if seeking what THEY know is your objective, as it so often should be, then the less said on your part the better.