Parker J. Palmer, Part 2: On the Brink of Silence (Episode 34)

This week our conversation with Quaker activist, author, and educator Parker J. Palmer continues. Please listen to Part One (Episode 33) if you haven't already done so.

In this week's episode, we explore the question of how sometimes silence can be toxic (a "silencing" rather than the silence that frees), and how Quaker spirituality has informed Palmer's relationship with silence.  He examines the difference between "adversarial listening" and "consensual decision-making" which embraces silence as a way to foster community and healthy relationships. Perhaps most moving of all is Palmer's heartfelt story about who is "silence hero" is.

One of the great things about poetry, the reason it's so appealing to people who are on a spiritual quest, is that there's a lot of space and a lot of silence between the lines, and between the words... poetry and silence have a great relationship to each other. — Parker J. Palmer

Palmer's deeply contemplative approach to silence, to education, to politics, and to vocation make his voice more important than ever as we seek to navigate the challenging issues of our time.

Some of the resources and authors mentioned in this episode:

Parker J. Palmer, On the Brink of Everything

Parker J. Palmer, The Courage to Teach

Parker J. Palmer, Healing the Heart of Democracy

Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak

Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness

Parker J. Palmer, The Promise of Paradox

Parker J. Palmer, The Active Life

Thomas Merton, The Intimate Merton: His Life from His Journals

Thomas Merton, The Sign of Jonas

Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander

Thomas Merton, Zen and the Birds of Appetite

Thomas Merton, The Asian Journal

Thomas Merton, The Way of Chuang Tzu

Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain

Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out

Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude

Richard Rohr, Silent Compassion

Wendell Berry, What I Stand On: The Collected Essays

Wendell Berry, The Selected Poems

Wendell Berry, The Memory of Old Jack

Wendell Berry, Hannah Coulter

Mary Oliver, "When Death Comes" found in Devotions: The Selected Poems

Wendell Berry, "How to be a poet" found in New Collected Poems

Thich Nhat Hanh, Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise

The Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness

Henri Nouwen, The Wounded Healer

Episode 34: On the Brink of Silence: A Conversation with Parker J. Palmer (Part Two)

Hosted by: Cassidy Hall

With: Kevin Johnson, Carl McColman

Guest: Parker J. Palmer

Date Recorded: July 13, 2018