Buchman also encouraged people to seek inspiration with others. A collective time of silence is a slightly different experience from an individual one. Here is a picture of his having a collective quiet time with a group of university students in the 1930s – the notebooks in the picture indicative of a culture where people were encouraged to write down their thoughts and reflections.
Small groups of people can often accomplish great things. Historians of science have observed that important discoveries are often the fruit of work by small networks of academics. Jesus trained his disciples by sending them out in small groups. The hero of J. R. R. Tolkein’s fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings – so popular with western audiences – sets out on his mission with a small group of friends.
