The whole course of things goes to teach us faith. We need only obey. There is guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening, we shall hear the right word.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
American essayist and philosopher
“I love that Emerson’s teaching is all about what he called ‘lowly listening,’ and connecting to our inner guidance and understanding that our mind is an expression of the one mind and learning to step aside and listen. It is a mind and intelligence that is greater than we are. Listening and knowing how to be receptive isn’t an art that we have perfected in our culture. We do not determine what we think we only open our senses, clear away as we can all obstruction from the facts, and let God think through us. Emerson is encouraging us to put control aside for the minute, to realize that we’re not creating our thoughts. Rather, we’re recipients of a mind stream that’s flowing through all of creation. And that is extremely humbling and, at the same time, enlarging and expansive. There’s something precious in us, a treasure in us, if we just quiet down enough and tune in.”
Mark Matousek, author of
Lessons from an American Stoic:
How Emerson Can Change Your Life
