October 11
Quiet in the Room
A quick agreement can be a relief after difficult meetings. No objections, no raised voices, no delay. Still, quiet can mean several things. People may agree, or they may be uncertain, tired, intimidated, or convinced that speaking will change nothing. We cannot know which explanation is true merely because the room sounds peaceful.
Group conscience asks for more interest than counting the voices we happened to hear. There can be room to pause without demanding that every person disclose a thought. Some people need time; others are quite content to listen. Respect means allowing both participation and reserve. What matters is whether speaking would be welcomed if someone chose it. A chairperson's patience, an unhurried question, and the absence of ridicule may tell us more about the room's spiritual condition than the speed with which everyone appears to agree.
What does the quiet around me make possible, and what might it conceal?
Silence does not have to be filled or mistaken for agreement.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Tradition Two; Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concept IV.