"But that isn’t all, Carol. In your young thoughts there may not be as yet place for envy, for jealousy, for resentment, for anger and the other disturbing thoughts that are so often cultivated by all of us if we do not guard against them. But these are noisy thoughts, they rattle in our minds, and we cannot listen while they are there. They block the very things our hearts most want to hear. If we are to know that Sacred Silence, that complete quiet which is vital to listening, we must cast such handicaps from us. …silence is not mere soundlessness. There are certain sounds that are noise. There is the boom of a gun, the snarl of a motor, the rattle of traffic, raucous cries that arise merely from excitement—and these are disturbing. But natural sound contributes to silence; it aids listening. Listen, Carol, to the murmur of the pine trees in the wind. Is there anything about that sound which breaks up listening? No—rather it aids our hearing, for it brings peace to our thoughts, helping us to turn away from the annoyances within…it isn’t just in nature study that you need to be a good listener. You need it among people just as well. We don’t really listen often. If we aren’t saying something, we are thinking something that interrupts others.”Yes, Carol, listening is almost a lost art in society. Rare indeed is the one who can forget himself long enough to let others speak. Our vanity makes us want to hear our own voice, to have our opinion rule."

Sam Campbell