OPENING SPEECH

CREATIVE SILENCE FOR SCIENCE

In the search for truth, in the inquiry to know things as they are, we certainly need analysis, discussion, experimentation, but it has its limits. If it is not complemented with silence what can the human intellect really see or what can it really learn? Stillness is a crucial component of discovery, of learning, of renewing perception. From this point of stillness we are brought into a state of detachment from ourselves, thus we can observe with greater clarity and are given insight....

Silence is the basis of communication.... One who communicates is constantly building invisible bridges of empathy, not only to others, to nature and to the self but, in fact, to the whole universe.... [Silence is] about creative discovery, that act of reconciling the unknown to the known....

Authentic science is much more than indulgence in the pleasures of intellectual and verbal acrobatics, it is the search for the real but not simply the search but also its realisation. A scientist, who realises the authenticity of his/her work and of his/her being, gives and shares whatever is found, otherwise it all merely becomes a selfish attachment to knowledge which is ultimately unproductive, uncreative and, therefore, inhumane.

Scientists are people, with the same propensity for desiring name, fame, and for pettiness, all of which precipitate into the rather ugly void of insecurity, jealousy and abusive competitiveness. People who don't give, cannot inspire and those who cannot inspire cannot be a positive example for others. Example and inspiration are the proofs of authenticity in a person.

There are some scientists who have challenged the dogmas which have fossilised through, say, complacence. These scientists research with reverence, that is, with a respectfulness which does not seek to exploit but to understand life. This group is returning to some of the principles of original science and the original scientists.

Let us journey back a few thousand years to a young Greek man, totally committed to researching the truths of life. Encouraged in his quest by the gods, especially by Apollo at Delphi, his search took him to many places, in particular Egypt. In Egypt he studied for over 20 years with the priests, practising the things that could open his mind to truth. After his preparation and training he moved to southern Italy where he founded one of the most influential scientific schools of the Western world. Pythagoras, often called the father of Western science, gathered in his community those of suitable character, that is, those who would dedicate themselves to the research of eternity, divinity and the material world of matter, sound and time.... The prerequisite for entering this community of researchers centred on a number of rules; the key one being that all new aspiring members had to follow the rule of silence.... He had other rules as well which included vegetarian diet and celibacy. Through these rules, especially the one of silence, preparations and observations were made 'inside' the scientist so that he or she would be capable and worthy of true knowing. Pythagoras believed that the observation and awareness of truth could not be known without purity in the "knower". Personal, inner purification made an authentic researcher. Purification was achieved through a silence which emptied the soul of illusions.

Where is science today? More significantly, where are scientists today? To the modern layperson it seems they are everywhere and nowhere. They are not believed in, nor trusted, mainly because their quest for knowledge has been very polluted by ambition. Consequently, quality has left their work and has devalued into an overwhelming plethora of specialised, complicated information that very few understand.

For any person, scientist or otherwise, gentle honest reflection and a quiet humility are the bases for a leap in consciousness; this inner leap produces quality. Quality in one's being and in one's doing.