Pause For Stillness and Silence

Photo by Scott Umstattd on Unsplash

Being still is a challenge for people who are constantly moving and doing. Look around you and listen to the sounds engulfing your eardrums. Not only is it hard to silence the noise and static around us, but it is also hard to be still within the sanctuaries of our minds. We choose to put on headphones and plug earbuds into our ears to provide bass-boosting soundtracks or commentaries to our days! Finding a place where noise and words do not drown out our thoughts has become almost impossible.

However, if you ever visit Helsinki, the capital of Finland, you can check out a unique attraction. Look up the Kamppi Chapel in the middle of a busy downtown area. While not a chapel in the traditional sense with religious services and singing, it is a sanctuary of silence in the hustle and bustle of a modern city. [1] 

There are no big creaking doors or organs. None of the echoes of voices and footsteps that characterize a typical European cathedral are audible…