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Silence and Solitude

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I. PENDAHULUAN
Seorang Kristen yang sejati adalah seseorang yang menyadari hakikatnya sebagai murid Kristus (disciple of Christ) dan mengalami proses transformasi spiritual yang dikerjakan oleh Allah untuk menjadi serupa dengan Kristus. Salah satu cara dalam proses transformasi spiritual tersebut adalah dengan melakukan disiplin rohani. Ada berbagai disiplin rohani yang dapat dilakukan; tapi dari semua disiplin rohani tersebut, jenis disiplin rohani solitude dan silence-lah yang jarang dan sulit dipraktekkan dalam rangka mengembangkan spiritualitas Kristen meskipun sudah banyak literatur Kristen yang membahas dan menganjurkan jenis disiplin rohani ini.
Sebenarnya, disiplin rohani seperti apakah solitude dan silence itu? Apakah benar-benar Alkitabiah? Mengapa sulit dan jarang dilakukan? Bagaimana membedakan disiplin rohani solitude dan silence dengan praktek-praktek non-Kristen yang hampir serupa? Bagaimana cara mempraktekkan disiplin rohani ini? Makalah ini dibuat untuk menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan di atas. Walaupun solitude dan silence dapat dibahas sebagai dua jenis disiplin rohani yang berbeda, tapi dalam makalah ini, keduanya akan dibahas sebagai sebuah kesatuan praktek disiplin rohani. Permasalahan yang dibahas hanya dibatasi pada disiplin rohani solitude dan silence itu sendiri walaupun dalam prakteknya berkaitan dengan disiplin rohani yang lain seperti doa, meditasi dan puasa. Makalah ini juga tidak akan menyajikan perbandingan yang mendetail antara solitude dan silence dengan praktek-praktek non-Kristen yang dikatakan hampir serupa.

II. DEFINISI SOLITUDE DAN SILENCE
Dallas Willard mengelompokkan solitude dan silence ke dalam kategori disiplin pemantangan/pertarakan (discipline of abstinence). Solitude adalah kegiatan menyendiri untuk sementara waktu secara fakultatif demi mencapai tujuan rohani; sedangkan silence adalah kegiatan abstensi berbicara untuk periode waktu tertentu. Masing-masing dibagi ke dalam dua jenis, yakni:
1. Outward/Inward solitude
Richard Foster mendefinisikan solitude lebih sebagai sebuah keadaan pikiran dan hati daripada mengenai masalah tempat/lokasi untuk menyendiri. Thomas Merton menetapkan jenis solitude yang seperti ini disebut sebagai inward solitude sedangkan outward solitude lebih fokus untuk menjauhkan diri dari semua bentuk distraksi.
2. Outward/Inward silence
Menurut Donald S. Whitney, outward silence terjadi ketika seseorang berbicara diri sendiri dan dengan Tuhan; dan inward silence akan terjadi ketika suara Tuhan bisa didengar. Dalam praktek disiplin rohani, solitude dan silence tidak terpisahkan satu sama lain dan di dalamnya seseorang berusaha untuk mendengar suara Tuhan dan mengalami inner fulfillment bukannya inner emptiness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer mengatakan bahwa solitude dan silence untuk praktek spiritual Kristiani adalah mendengarkan dalam keheningan dan dengan penuh kerendahan hati berkonjungsi dengan suara Tuhan. Inilah yang membedakan solitude dan silence dalam praktek spiritualitas Kristen dengan praktek non-Kristen yang dianggap hampir mirip bahkan sama oleh sebagian orang.

III. TUJUAN DAN MANFAAT SOLITUDE DAN SILENCE
Solitude dan silence merupakan prinsip dasar dalam spiritualitas Kristen bahkan pelayanan Kristen lahir dari solitude dan silence. Tujuan utama dalam mempraktekkan solitude dan silence adalah untuk mengambil bagian dalam kesempatan yang Allah berikan dalam rangka transformasi spiritual supaya semakin diubah seperti Kristus. Yesus sendiri memprakekkan solitude dan silence semasa pelayananNya. Alkitab mencatat, “Pagi-pagi benar, waktu hari masih gelap, Ia bangun dan pergi ke luar. Ia pergi ke tempat yang sunyi dan berdoa di sana.” (Markus 1:35); “Dan setelah orang banyak itu disuruh-Nya pulang, Yesus naik ke atas bukit untuk berdoa seorang diri. Ketika hari sudah malam, Ia sendirian di situ.” (Matius 14:23); “Ketika hari siang, Yesus berangkat dan pergi ke suatu tempat yang sunyi. Tetapi orang banyak mencari Dia, lalu menemukan-Nya dan berusaha menahan Dia supaya jangan meninggalkan mereka” (Lukas 4:42). Dari ayat-ayat ini, sangat jelas bahwa untuk menjadi seperti Yesus seorang murid yang sejati harus dapat mendisiplinkan diri dengan melakukan hal yang sama.
Selain teladan dari Yesus, Alkitab juga mencatat tokoh-tokoh baik dalam Perjanjian Lama maupun Perjanjian Baru yang juga melakukan solitude dan silence, misalnya, Elia (I Raj. 19), Habakuk (Hab. 2:1) dan Paulus (Kis. 9:9, 11; Gal 1:17). Hal ini juga membuktikan bahwa praktek solitude dan silence benar-benar Biblikal.
Dalam mempraktekkan solitude dan silence, dapat dirasakan juga manfaat-manfaat lain yang turut menyertai disiplin rohani ini, antara lain:
1. Mendengarkan suara Allah dengan lebih baik
Inilah alasan yang paling jelas mengapa seseorang menjauh dari hiruk-pikuk dunia dan menyendiri dengan Allah. Contoh Alkitab mengenai hal ini adalah ketika Elia yang mendengarkan suara Allah melalui angin sepoi-sepoi di gunung Horeb (1 Raj. 19:11-13)
2. Sebagai bentuk ekspresi iman dan penyembahan kepada Allah
Penyembahan kepada Allah tidak selalu dengan kata-kata, suara ataupun tindakan. Kadang penyembahan dapat berupa fokus kepada Allah dalam kediaman.
3. Meningkatnya sensitivitas dan belas kasihan kepada orang lain
Dengan solitude dan silence akan ada sebuah kebebasan baru untuk bersama dengan orang lain; perhatian baru terhadap kebutuhan mereka dan respon yang baru terhadap penderitaan yang dialami oleh orang lain. Mengenai hal ini, Thomas Merton menulis,
It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am, the more affection I have for them. It is pure affection, and filled with reverence for the solitude of others.
Berdasarkan pengalamannnya Merton menuliskan hal ini dalam jurnal pribadinya. Ia juga menemukan bahwa dengan adanya sensitivitas dan belas kasihan, maka solitude dan silence juga membawa orang pada kesatuan dengan orang lain.
4. Belajar mengontrol lidah
Ketika mempraktekkan disiplin ini seseorang akan belajar untuk menyadari bahwa Allah-lah yang mengontrol situasi dimana pada umumnya seseorang memaksa untuk berkata-kata. Keterampilan dalam mengobservasi dan mendengar juga akan membuat seseorang merasa semakin segar dan semakin mendalam ketika ia mulai berbicara. Di sini terlihat bahwa dengan mengontrol lidah, maka seseorang juga bisa mengontrol “seluruh tubuh”. Karena hal ini berpotensi dalam memberikan dampak pada kehidupan, tidaklah heran Dallas Willard menyebut solitude dan silence sebagai “sebuah disiplin yang paling radikal dalam hidup.”
5. Memperoleh perspektif baru dan mengetahui kehendak Tuhan
Tidak ada cara yang lebih baik dalam melangkah mundur dan memperoleh keseimbangan yang lebih banyak serta memperoleh perspektif dunia yang lebih sedikit dalam berbagai hal selain melalui solitude dan silence. Ketika seseorang “meninggalkan dunia” dan memasuki ruang dan waktu bersama Tuhan, maka ia akan mulai dapat melihat dunia beserta keadaan dan sesamanya dengan perspektif yang baru. Mendukung hal ini Willard menyatakan bahwa salah satu dari manfaat terbesar solitude dan silence adalah dimerdekakan dari keinginan sendiri.
6. Pemulihan secara fisik dan spiritual
Setiap orang memiliki kebutuhan untuk disegarkan/dipulihkan kembali baik secara fisik maupun spiritual. Yesus juga merasakan hal yang sama sehingga di dalam Markus 6:31 Ia mengajak murid-murid-Nya untuk pergi ke tempat yang sepi dan beristirahat. Richard Foster menggambarkan sebagai sebuah proses bedah yang merestorasi. IV. HAMBATAN DALAM MEMPRAKTEKAN SOLITUDE DAN SILENCE
Banyak orang yang segan untuk mempraktekkan disiplin rohani ini karena faktor resiko yang diperoleh. Dalam disiplin ini, seseorang berkonfrontasi dengan diri sendiri bersama dengan hal-hal yang tidak jelas dan konflik yang kemudian mengalihkan fokus orang tersebut ketika berinteraksi dengan orang lain. Mengenai ini Dallas Willard menulis,
Solitude and silence is a terrible trial, for it serves to crack open and burst apart the shell of our superficial securities. It opens out to us the unknown abyss that we all carry within us . . .[and] discloses the fact that these abysses are haunted.”

Faktor lainnya adalah ketakutan untuk memisahkan diri dari lingkungan sekitar karena terbiasa berada dalam situasi yang ramai. Hal ini bahkan dialami oleh orang Kristen yang justru mencari persekutuan hanya untuk menutupi ketakutannya untuk berada sendirian atau terisolasi. Bahkan bagi orang Kristen yang sangat sibuk, memisahkan diri dari rutinitas dan tidak melakukan apa-apa dirasa sebagai sesuatu yang cukup membuang waktu dan merupakan hal yang mustahil untuk dilakukan. Sesungguhnya, akar dari hal ini adalah ketidakpercayaan kepada Tuhan yang dapat melakukan segala hal. Itulah mengapa Thomas Kempis meyebutkan solitude dan silence adalah sesuatu yang paling menantang sifatnya. Senada dengan itu, Willard menyebutkan bahwa pencapaian yang paling besar dalam spiritualitas adalah kemampuan untuk tidak melakukan sesuatupun.

V. MEMPRAKTEKKAN SOLITUDE DAN SILENCE
Ada beberapa jenis praktek solitude dan silence yang dapat dilakukan, yakni:
1. Solitude dan silence yang tidak membutuhkan waktu dan tempat yang khusus.
Hal ini bisa dilakukan dengan mencari kesempatan untuk dalam setiap hari dengan memfokuskan diri untuk mencari dan menikmati hadirat Tuhan. Misalnya saat sedang berkendara ke tempat kerja, saat macet di tengah perjalanan, saat berjalan ditaman, bahkan saat menunggu seseorang yang belum datang. Inilah yang dimaksudkan dengan inward solitude yang dapat dilakukan di tengah-tengah tempat umum.

2. Solitude dan silence yang membutuhkan waktu dan tempat yang khusus.
Ada beberapa hal yang juga dapat dilakukan, antara lain:
a) Mencari tempat yang tenang, baik itu di sebuah ruangan dalam rumah, perpustakaan, sebuah ruangan di gereja, taman/kebun atau dimana saja.
b) Mencari sebuah waktu regular dari rutinitas harian yang diperuntukkan khusus bagi solitude dan silence. Ini merupakan bentuk solitude dan silence harian.
c) Menyendiri untuk satu bahkan beberapa hari di sebuah tempat yang khusus. Banyak tempat-tempat retreat yang dibangun untuk tujuan ini. Yang dilakukan adalah berdiam diri, berpuasa, berdoa, dan membaca firman.
Dalam melakukan solitude dan silence dibutuhkan perhatian dan fokus kepada Tuhan. Solitude dan silence yang tidak melibatkan pikiran akan membuat seseorang justru tertidur. Dalam melakukan solitude dan silence seseorang akan membaca dan merenungkan firman Tuhan, mengingat kebaikan Tuhan, menyembah Tuhan, berbincang-bincang dengan Tuhan, merenungkan hidup dan dalam keheningan, berusaha mendengarkan dan menantikan Tuhan “lebih daripada pengawal mengharapkan fajar pagi” (Mzm. 130:5-6).

VI. KESIMPULAN
Solitude dan silence adalah sebuah praktek menyendiri dari berbagai rutinitas untuk berdiam diri di hadapan Tuhan. Dalam praktek disiplin rohani ini seseorang akan belajar untuk mengerti bawa kekosongan dan kepenatan yang dialami oeh seseorang hanya dapat diisi dan direstorasi oleh Tuhan saja, bukan semata-mata bergantung pada lingkungan dan diri sendiri. Dalam solitude dan silence membawa seseorang untuk berhenti sejenak dan melihat ke dalam hati dan mengarahkan fokus penuh kepada Tuhan dan mendengarkan suara Tuhan. Inilah yang membuat seseorang mengetahui dan memahami kehendak-Nya karena berada dalam suasana yang terpusat penuh kepada Tuhan tanpa diganggu dengan berbagai hal yang akan mengalihkan perhatian. Seseorang yang penat dan bergumul akan dipulihkan secara fisik dan spiritual lewat solitude dan silence. Disiplin rohani ini juga member kesempatan bagi seseorang untuk merenungkan dan merefleksi perjalanan kehidupannya serta menolong untk memperihatkan kecenderungan seseorang dalam mengendalikan hidup. Solitude dan silence dikombinasikan dengan perhatian penuh pada kehadiran Tuhan; inilah titik awal dari semua bentuk disiplin rohani. Bahkan, pelayanan Kristen berasal dari solitude dan silence. Seseorang yang rindu untuk semakin serupa dengan Kristus harus mencoba disiplin rohani ini. Itulah sebabnya, Henry Nouwen menulis,
Solitude and silence is the furnace of transformation . . .[It] is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter-the struggle against the compulsions of the false self and the encounter with the loving God who offers Himself as the substance of the new self.

DAFTAR PUSTAKA

Buku
Barton, Ruth Haley. Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence. Illinois: Intervasity, 2004.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. New York: Harper and Row, 1954.
Fenhagen, James C. Ministry and Solitude. New York: Seabury, 1981.
Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. New York: Harper, 1978.
Kempis, Thomas A. The Imitation of Christ. Milwaukee: Bruce, 1940.
Oates, Wayne E. Nurturing Silence in A Noisy Heart: How To Find Inner Peace. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1996.
Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Colorado: Navpress, 1991.
Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God. New York: Harper, 1997.
____________. The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teachings on Discipleship. New York: Harper, 2006.
____________. The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. New York: Harper, 1988.
Willard, Dallas dan Don Simpson. Revolution of Character: Discovering Christ’s Pattern for Spiritual Transformation. Colorado: Navpress, 2005.
Wong, Kiew Kit. The Complete Book of Zen. London: Vermillion, 1998.

JURNAL
Plummer, Robert L. “Are the Spiritual Disciplines of ‘Silence and Solitude’ Really Biblical?” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care Vol. 2, No. 1. 2009.

INTERNET
Burrus, Barry. “Dynamics of Christian Solitude: Thomas Merton As Guide Spiritual Life.” [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3885/is_200301/ai_n9223144/], diakses 25 Oktober 2009.
Fehlen, John. “Solitude: Being Still When You Have to Keep Moving.” [http://www.scribd.com/doc/6525046/Solitude-Being-Still-When-You-Have-to-Keep-on-Moving#], diakses 25 Oktober 2009.

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