Listen To The Silence

Why Do We Only Appreciate The Value of What Was When It No Longer Is?

Just over two years ago, my world changed!

Our home is in a quiet residential neighborhood, with wide, tree-lined avenues, little traffic, and an overall peacefulness to it.

Overnight, all that was altered.

Fifty meters parallel to our street is a primary arterial highway. On it, an overpass was to be constructed. In typical style for Indian government projects, the decision about it was taken with no warning, no preparation, and apparently no thought.

We woke up one fine morning to find our street clogged with hundreds and hundreds of vehicles. Two years later, we still wake up to the same scene every day.

It’s insane! The noise. The incessant rumbling. The house-shaking shudder every time a truck passes by. It feels like we’re in a never-ending earthquake zone.

Tomorrow is Deepavali, one of the biggest Indian festivals.

Today, schools have declared a holiday to let students celebrate. Businesses granted employees leave, so that families could travel back to their home towns. And last night, there was an exodus from the city.

This morning, I woke up… to something strange.

Different.

For a minute, my woozy brain couldn’t figure out what was ‘wrong’. Then, I walked to the window — and stood there for a long time.

Listening.

Typically, the clamor and cacophony would pierce eardrums and shatter the morning quietude. Today, there was an unfamiliar calm.

A silence.

No college buses, horns blaring in discordant competition. No motorcyclists racing their powerful engines in a tearing hurry. No herd of uncouth drivers, ruthlessly rushing to get ahead in a race to the nearest stop light.

The rarest of rare sights greeted me — an empty road!

I enjoyed the moment. It was refreshing. Nostalgic, even. This is how things used to be, oh so long ago.

And then, I wondered…

How often had I cared to notice, enjoy and appreciate this peace and calm when I had it every day?

We take so much for granted.

Barely pay attention to things when we have them.

Health. Family. Friends. Youth. And more.

All ignored. Or only noticed in passing. Brushed aside in the rush for something else.

Until they’re gone.

I’m going back, to listen to the silence.

Enjoy it. Appreciate it. Respect it.

Because, now that it’s gone, I know how precious it really is.