SILENCE — THE POWER OF UNSPOKEN WORDS
In today’s chaotic world where everyone has to shout out loud, to be heard, to put forth their opinions, knowledge, and understanding, silence looks like long-forgotten expressions of life.
Pause a little and think.
Do you remember the last time you sat in silence with your thoughts?
Or, how many times do you feel the urge to disconnect from the world and look deep within trying to explore yourself?
The answers might be deafening! But, hold on to them, and let’s explore together the need for silence in our lives.
So, what is silence?
Well, silence to me is an ambiguous term and has no concrete explanation. It has different facets to its existence and therefore can be interpreted in many ways, some close to your heart while some emotions that appear distant.
Silence can be termed as a powerful tool for love
Have you ever experienced silence with your partner?
Silence in profound love is an expression of complete surrender and acceptance. After all, that’s the sign of selfless love. It’s not void, rather, it is completely enriched with expressions of love, peace, joy, and happiness. It is based on the principle of deep understanding with no expectations and complete submission.
As a child, I would often admire my parents silently enjoying their morning tea, together. My father as usual would be engrossed reading his newspaper while my mother would simply sit beside him. At times embracing silence with your partner is a healthy sign in a long-term relationship.
Watching a movie together, snuggling together, reading a book, or even admiring nature silently shows that you are comfortable in each other’s space. The mere presence of your partner is sufficient to fill the void to develop a strong connection that can survive the silence.
Silence holds true in case of unrequited love
Though everybody comes from a different school of thought and might feel that one-sided silent love is emotionally draining. However, you can’t deny the will power and passion one needs to silently admire, love, pray, and wish the best for their lover. After all, isn’t that the true essence of unrequited love? Besides, finding such selfless forms of love in today’s materialistic world is a rare distant dream.
“And if you call me at 4 AM, too sad to even say hello, I will listen to your silence until you fall asleep.”- UNKNOWN
Silent withdrawal in love may lead to distress
If a partner fails to acknowledge the needs, desires, wants, and wishes of the other, it will only lead the other to be passive-aggressive. If the communication is disrupted, the partner might just shut all possible doors to communicate and adopt a silent stance to cope rather than talking to their partner. This form of silence can get overwhelming and is toxic to a healthy relationship. Studies also suggest silence creates distance between partners, which can further complicate and sabotage the relationship.
Silence in times of grief
Grief is an inevitable element in our life and everyone has experienced it at some point in life. Every individual has their own way and pace to deal with grief. Loss of a loved one, a damaged relationship, or a significant loss can be devastating and some people go numb to overcome the sorrow and pain. Sometimes, it can get unbearable to accept the irreparable loss and some seek solace in isolation only to sulk in deep darkening silence filled with loneliness and despair. Not only is this space toxic, but it can also lead to severe anxiety and a decline in mental health.
However, there can be instances in our lives where silence can offer empathy to grieve-stricken people. One of my friends lost her husband a few years back and I struggled to find the right words to console her. Sometimes, all you need to do is silently assure people that you are there for them and it can become an effective way to communicate.
Silence while admiring art, beauty, and nature
Has it ever happened to you that a beautiful masterpiece, a mesmerizing moment, or the splendor of mother nature left you awestruck?
Nature stands for serenity and peace, but we all live in a crazy world full of hustle, bustle making it nearly impossible to hear the stillness around.
As Mother Teresa said “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.”
Nature has its own language and no words are sufficient to describe its immense beauty.
Silence is an indispensable element of spirituality
Silence serves as a vital aspect of spirituality and is more powerful than words. Our ancient yogis have described silence as “Mauna”, who have practiced “Mauna Yoga” for ages to attain peace and nirvana.
We generally fail to understand meditation and often confuse it with prayers. While praying we converse with God as we want him to listen to us. But, meditation is all about silently to listen to the divinity and conversing with yourself.
Silence is considered a receptive form of spirituality and involves complete surrender to the supreme power. It is not passive in nature and doesn’t anticipate or expect anything, instead focuses on pondering over the inner consciousness.
So, why do we need silence in today’s chaotic world?
Our world full of noise, and distraction. Amidst the chaos, observing some moments of silence is supremely important for the physical and mental well- being.
Silence is not empty, but full of meaning and answers. It builds relations, helps us to be calm and receptive, and in turn lead a stress-free life. Silence is like a full stop after every sentence which makes us pause, think, and absorb.
Silently meditating helps us to listen to our thoughts and ponder on it. So, to all the beautiful souls reading this article, do take some time out and practice silence to get some solace from this overwhelming world.
References-
https://www.reddit.com/r/quotes/comments/dyxzgm/and_if_you_call_me_at_4am_too_tired_to_say_hello/
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/292124
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