Still

"Still"

By Deshi Ramadhani, SJ
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

One of my favorite songs as a teenager was Lionel Richie's "Still." May be because it was one among the first songs in English that I could understand well. [Oops.. again, it's a sad song about separation. I don't know what has been taking me these days]. As a teenage boy the title itself said it all, "Still." Especially the way the song ends. It's with a thoughtful pause, after saying "But the most of all, I do love you..." Then the songs concludes emphatically, "...Still...."

Now as I look at this song again (with the help of Google, of course), there are these lines that attract me: "So many dreams that flew away. So many words we didn't say." The combination of those two lines suggest a powerful message. In my own words, I would say, "Failure to say the necessary words makes your dreams remain dreams." Yes, saying it is as important as remaining in silence to listen.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, says in his Spiritual Exercises, about the importance of, in Latin, "id quod volo." It's so important to put into words "something that I want." Putting it into words will help the one doing the Spiritual Exercises to have a clearer understanding about his or her deepest desire. Eventually, this will help a lot to clarify his or her life dreams, and to let God keep them always in check. In this way, our dreams are indeed God's dreams. So again, I believe that in spiritual life the same thing applies: "So many dreams that flew away. So many words we didn't say." The good news, God will always say, "...Still..."