The sounds of silence

Here's a helpful brief introduction to the Quakers by British songsmith and performer, Tom Robinson ("2,4,6,8 Motorway" and "Sing if you're Glad to be Gay") who has in recent years been attending a meeting house. I really liked this description of the experience of keeping silence in company.

For me the focused, expectant silence of the meeting was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Birdsong or traffic noises would mingle with the occasional cough, or creak of a seat, within the room. And after perhaps 10 minutes there would be a sense of the silence deepening - like a coastal shelf falling away beneath our feet. A profound, inner stillness would descend as fidgeting diminished and superficial sounds receded into the background.

For non-Brit readers, the title of the article Silent witnesses is an allusion to the title of a forensic crime series.