I have a theory.
I spent twelve years of my primary and secondary education in a Catholic convent. That meant going to Mass once a week, confession before mass, silent retreats once a term, saying the Angelus every day at midday, prayers at the start of day and after our lunchtime break, and a host of other religious rituals.
Since leaving school, I have not had this ritualistic practice.
There is a lot of talk these days in business media about the value of silence. A recent Harvard Business Review article, for example, cites a number of pieces of research on the topic:
Recent studies are showing that taking time for silence restores the nervous system, helps sustain energy, and conditions our minds to be more adaptive and responsive to the complex environments in which so many of us now live, work, and lead. Duke Medical School’s Imke Kirste recently found that silence is associated with the development of new cells in the hippocampus, the key brain region associated with learning and memory. Physician Luciano Bernardi found that two-minutes of silence inserted between musical pieces proved more stabilizing to cardiovascular and respiratory systems than even the music categorized as “relaxing.” And a 2013 study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, based on a survey of 43,000 workers, concluded that the disadvantages of noise and distraction associated with open office plans outweighed anticipated, but still unproven, benefits like increasing morale and productivity boosts from unplanned interactions.
Wow. A lot of benefit there!
So back to my theory.
I am of the view that the secularisation of Western society has, with the removal of ritualised regular religious practise, in addition to the removal of religion from our daily lives, has eliminated the regular practise of conscious silence and contemplation.
And I think we miss it: The popularity of yoga, mindfulness, and articles like the one I cited from the HBR above are, to my mind, signifiers of this sense of lack.
As a child, I followed the practises of the Catholic faith without thought. As an adult, I did not think about them. But, recently, the reintroduction of contemplation and quiet in my life through the daily practises of meditation and journalling have brought me to the realisation that these popular trends that I have taken up have much in common with the practises of my childhood. Full circle.