Life Lessons
The Sound of Silence In Today’s Digital Age
To Succeed And Thrive In This Cacophonous World, Press Pause And Embrace The Sound of Silence
For many silence is the absence of noise, chaos, conflicts and so on. But, as a matter of fact, silence is beyond all of that.
Silence is not the absence of noise as the silence that grows out of noise has its roots in noise. Neither it is the absence of chaos as the silence that grows out of chaos has its seeds in chaos. And similarly, silence is not even the absence of conflicts as it has its radicle lies beneath in conflicts.
Noise, chaos, conflicts and all other sounds are products of the mind and into the fabric of the mind, silence can never be woven. And if it is, then its nothing but a false reflection of the eternal truth.
In the presence of silence, the mind is absent, and in the presence of mind, the silence is absent.
The silence I am talking about here is not what you think but an entirely different yet, an integral part of us and holds the answers to all our questions, the solutions to all our problems.
Picasso, Vinci, Einstein, Thoreau, Newton and many other great thinkers, mystics, writers, poets knew that the seeds of incredible ideas are planted only in this silence and not amidst a cacophonous world. They knew that the great realizations occur only when we switch ourselves off from the external world completely and dive deep into the ocean of eternal silence.
“Everything that’s created comes out of silence. Thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Words come out of the void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.” ~ Wayne Dyer
The value of silence is felt by almost everyone at some point in their life. As much as silence is comforting, nourishing and cosy, it also opens up to inspirations and nurtures our mind, body & soul.
The Sound of Silence - A Profound Language
An unagitated breath of the eternal existence, the eloquence of silence whispers into the heart and not the ear as our ears cannot comprehend this silence. Our hearts beat with it and lives rhymes with this silence. This Creation is instinct with it and the Universe is aflame with this silence. The serenity of Eternity is permeating with this silence too.
In the philosophical realm, silence is not the absence of noise but the absence of all human-created stimuli. It is not just quieting of external noise but a cessation of all the noises within also. Silence is an ocean in which all the rivers of all the philosophies of the world discharge themselves.
“Silence is an empty space. Space is the home of the awakened mind.” ~ Buddha
Paradoxically, silence is not about the absence of any sort of sound yet it invites the presence of everything. This silence is never silent but always puissant. It is empty yet full of answers.
Alan Watts, the British philosopher and the author wrote a beautiful short story in his book ‘Out Of Your Mind’. Allow me to share with you all here.
‘There are many, many dialogues in the Pali scriptures where people try to corner the Buddha into a metaphysical position. ‘Is the world eternal?’ The Buddha says nothing. ‘Is the world not eternal?’ And he answers nothing’. ‘Is the world both eternal and not eternal?’ And he doesn’t say anything’. ‘Is the world neither eternal nor not eternal?’ And STILL, he doesn’t say anything’. He maintains what is called noble silence. Sometimes called the thunder of silence, because this silence, this metaphysical silence, is not a void. It is very powerful. This silence is the open window through which you can see not concepts, not ideas, not beliefs, but the very goods. But if you say what it is that you see, you erect an image and an idol, and you misdirect people. It’s better to destroy people’s beliefs than to give them beliefs. I know it hurts, but it is The Way.’ ~Alan Watts
Silence is the language of the heart, while all other forms of noise, including speech, are the language of the mind. And hence, the moment you try to explain the silence using words, it becomes part of the noise. Silence cannot be expressed through words but can only be felt and experienced.
Lao-Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, believed that ‘Silence is the great revelation’. We turn to books for revelation, but their authors found the interlude of silence as their source of inspiration, he said.
Silence is so profound that it can bring you directly to the original source of knowledge.
The Science of Silence - A Neural Self-Information Theory
Much has been published about silence by researchers. The health benefits of silence are immense and well documented. According to science, silence is vital for our exhausted brains.
Dr. Joe Z. Tsien, a neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, in his new Neural Self-Information Theory says, ‘An ocean surface that may look calm compared to a tsunami, but is never truly still. Many scientists have noted that there can also be variation in how even the same neuron responds to the same stimulus or even a quiet, resting state. Yet, there must be some kind of operating principle that enables us to think and act in real-time in the face of this ongoing variability.’
In 2013, Joseph Moran et al. wrote in the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, the brain’s default mode network is observed most closely during the psychological task of reflecting on one’s personalities and characteristics (self-reflection), rather than during self-recognition, thinking of the self-concept, or thinking about self-esteem.
When the brain rests, it is able to integrate internal and external information into ‘a conscious workspace’, said Moran and colleagues.
Another study in 2013 found that two hours of silence could create new cells in the hippocampus region, a brain area linked to learning, remembering, and emotions. It helps grow new brain cells.
“All profound things and emotions of things are preceded and attended by silence.” ~ Herman Melville
Science is now showing that silence may be just what we need to regenerate our exhausted brains and bodies.
The Art of Silence - A ‘Press Pause’ Learning
While the researchers, philosophers and mystics will continue to evolve and impart their understanding and the knowledge they possess, unless we turn our attention inward and plunge into the deep ocean of silence, we cannot experience the true essence of silence.
An enormous number of people out there, who feel extremely uncomfortable with silence, devote their lives to keeping their mind busy all the time. They equate silence with rejection and the desire for conversation makes them feel connected and accepted. They fill their heads with all sort of noises & voices and are always in ‘reacting mode’ instead of ‘self-reflection mode’.
To succeed and thrive in this cacophonous world, we need to ‘press pause’ and embrace the precious moments of silence. Moments of such intentional silence, even if short ones, can have profound effects on our daily lives, on productivity and creative thinking.
Indeed, the challenges of noise and distraction will always be there. Pressing pause, even for short moments, and cultivating a sense of silence through various practices like - prayers, meditation, and sitting in solitude, are the most profound ways to deal with such challenges.
Silence is all about rediscovering yourself and the moments that bring us joy through pausing.
Silence can be practised anytime, anywhere and to be able to simply pause, you don’t need any course in silence. It’s just there in front of your nose. Each day I dwell in silence by creating it for myself as I go out for my regular walks, prepare my food or sipping my tea or merely focus on my breathing. You can do this too!
To regain perspective in life and to enable the deep inner voice of our true self, we just need to cultivate and experience the fertile ground of silence. When we press pause, we just don’t stop listening to external distractions, but also choose not to talk, not to converse and not to entertain our inner monologues.
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” ~ Rumi
When you press pause and reflect, you merge with this noble silence. You experience that everything is part of you and you are part of everything. And that you are whole all by yourself.
