That is the paradox of the epidemic: that in order to create one contagious movement, you often have to create many small movements first.
~ Malcolm Gladwell in THE TIPPING POINT
A contemplative life is not withdrawal. It is an active engagement born of stillness. Contemplation allows the soul to breathe and to meet the world with presence rather than reaction. Silence is not empty, it is full of answers if we care to listen.