The Power of Silence

Silence. Images of water drops, wind moving wheat, mountain tops, still forests. Symbols of quiet, calm environments.

How little we experience these at this time! Without removing ourselves from the cities, suburbs, small towns, and into the countryside, the forest, the desert, we so rarely experience this phenomenon that we hardly know what to do when faced with silence. Visiting Paris, and that first step into nave of Notre Dame de Paris, surrounded by, and perhaps inundated with the pale light, and the sound of…nothing. And why does this often overwhelm us? Simply because, we are so very unused to this. Silence. Simple quiet.

We live in a world of overstimulation. Whether we seek it or not, it’s there. The sounds of traffic outside the apartment window. An airplane flying above us. The sounds of factories, machines, and other mechanical appliances, making our world a little easier, if a bit louder. And when we experience these rare silent moments? A bit overwhelming, if not intolerable, for many of us. Why? Because ‘noise,’ or sound, has become our norm, and we’ve learned to speak, think, and make decisions in the midst of sound, rather than the oasis of quiet and calm. When was the last time you spent half an hour, by yourself, in the quiet of a room, with your own thoughts, and allowed yourself the luxury of quiet solitude. Or does that concept terrify you, as it does some? In this world of constant stimulation by one source or another, having thoughts on life, politics, literature, sports, and what they mean to you, is quite exhilarating. Or scary. Do I really think that? And why? Is it the culmination of my life and education to date? Or do I really have something to say about it? Or on what those experiences taught me, or brought me to where I am at this moment? The thoughts can rush in like running water, or a single thought can occupy you mind for quite a while. Not necessarily in a bad way; simply different observations on a single subject. Which can be freeing…. Thoughts of, ‘ Oh wow! I never thought of that in that way! What would it mean in my life….”. Or perhaps, ‘I never saw the danger of that before…’ The realization that so much is possible, and that you’re capable of so much, even if it’s only thought at the moment, is exciting, and leads to thoughts of, ‘how can I do this?’ ‘Do I need help?’ ‘How long might it take?’ And, all of a sudden, new and never-before-thought-of worlds are open to us. Our own portal, if you will, to places we never imagined before.

Born of being alone with our thoughts. And listening to our minds, and of what we have experienced so far, with burning questions to be answered. Not speaking. Not acting. Simply being with our thoughts, dreams, passions, fears, and being open to what flows into our minds to help us navigate these things as best we can. Little by little, we can begin to see farther into what we might accomplish during our time in this world. And how it might make our time here, as well as those of others, a better place to live.