“How can I support my four children so that they can face the challenges that come their way?”
Impact in my family life
It was this deep concern brought me to the Silence Farm in Damme eight years ago. I was allowed to experience how beneficial it is to find an environment, people and a program that help to relax, to go inside and to connect with the source of peace and energy within me through meditation and conversations that matter.
When the future of the Silence Farm was threatened, together with a small group, I worked intensively to turn the tide. Unfortunately, without success. As soon as the plans were made to create new ways, I did not hesitate to become part of the board of the non-profit organization Silence@Work.
In the meantime, it has become clear to everyone that the madness is steadily increasing. I also notice the effects of increasing confusion and uncertainty in my own family. We face major challenges as a society, as a family and as individuals. The need for silence and internalization was never more prominent. Never has the awareness that we are facing the challenge of developing new forms and answers been stronger. As an engineer-programmer, I have been committed from the beginning to help realize the dream of 'Into Silence'.
The process of Silence@Work (SAW) teaches me how important it is to never give up. No matter how powerless one may feel, to keep on saying 'YES', even if the outcome is uncertain. Sometimes from a blind trust and a deep knowing. I can't fall out of it. Somewhere behind the corner, a new perspective that I cannot see today awaits me. I want to say ‘Yes’ to that and be part of the future.
Who is Jelle Pelfrene?
As a former volunteer of Bond Zonder Naam, as a member of the board of SAW (Silence@Work), I hope that 'Into Silence' as a digital trajectory, will one day be able to reconnect with the organizations from which it grew: Bond zonder Naam and the VZW Silence Farm, the physical place from which 'Into Silence' and SAW took birth. The world is pregnant with new answers. With SAW and Into Silence we say 'yes' to the birth pangs.
Jelle Pelfrene
