Backwoods Blog

HENRI NOUWEN

Backwoods Blog;

in the woods and on the road…

The word solitude can be misleading. It suggests being alone by yourself in an isolated place. When we think about solitaries, our mind easily evokes images of monks or hermits who live in remote places secluded from the noise of a busy world…It is probably difficult, if not impossible, to move from loneliness to solitude without any form of withdrawal from a distracting world, and therefore it is understandable that those who seriously try to develop their spiritual life are attracted to places and situations where they can be alone, sometimes for a limited period of time, sometimes more or less permanently. But the solitude that really counts is the solitude of heart; it is an inner quality or attitude that does not depend on physical isolation. On occasion this isolation is necessary to develop this solitude of heart, but it would be sad if we considered this essential aspect of the spiritual life as a privilege of monks and hermits. It seems more important than ever to stress that solitude is one of the human capacities that can exist, be maintained and developed in the center of a big city, in the middle of a large crowd and in the context of a very active and productive life. A man or woman who has developed this solitude of heart is no longer pulled apart by the most divergent stimuli of the surrounding world but is able to perceive and understand this world from a quiet inner center.

Henri Nouwen; Reaching Out 1986

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One of the common misconceptions about living off-the-grid is that you don’t have as many distractions or unwanted intrusions to contend with. While that may have been the case years ago, the current world of wireless high-speed broadband, cell phones and energy efficient electronics and appliances have made a life-style of solitude (and personal sanity) that much more of a challenge. Sometimes the physical location or the living space you’re in isn’t as important as the mental space. Interior solitude is the open space inside your head that isn’t clogged, influenced or over-run by the relentless media content of society. These days it doesn’t really matter if you’re living in the backwoods or in a New York City apartment, just find a way to keep your mind free.

I took a class from Henri Nouwen at Harvard Divinity School when he was a visiting professor in 1985. Nouwen was born in Holland, a Catholic priest, professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame (1966-68) and professor of theology at Yale (1971-81).  Henri was also a prolific writer, best known for his works in contemplative spirituality and consistently in demand as a public speaker. Henri spoke with a heavy Dutch accent and noted for his distinct speaking style; moving freely across the front of a classroom or auditorium stage without notes using slow, expressive gestures to communicate his content. I remember how Henri would start each class with four minutes of silence before he began his lecture. This was a rather unorthodox approach (even at a seminary) and I couldn’t help but notice the tension in the air as the class of one hundred or so students waited for Henri to start speaking. I must confess, I couldn’t help but think of how much money this class was costing me and here we are just sitting here! As the semester continued I gradually began to see that Henri was modeling a type of spirituality that cultivated its expression out of creative silence. Even when he paused for a moment during a lecture, that was okay, you knew something timely and informative would follow. When Henri spoke about “solitude of heart” he was referring to the ability to maintain one’s own composure no matter where you happened to be or what the circumstances might be. It’s having access to your own quiet inner center that stabilizes the potential chaos and turbulence of the day. Stop for a minute each day (or perhaps four minutes) and practice this simple technique of being still, open-minded and calm. Then get going and move on with the rest of your day no matter where you might be.

In the woods,

Dave

April 7, 2022