Silence

Such a rare experience in our modern lives.

Silence virtually no longer exists. We are immersed in sounds and noises, words and communications, information 24/7. Once, when we were children, television programs ended at a certain time and then there was the final screen that signalled the temporary interruption of any broadcasting. No longer. Now we have an endless stream of videos and music, an uninterrupted chatter of social media, not to mention the actual noise: the traffic, crowds, work environments crammed with people, words, sounds... And even when we are alone, there is no silence in our heads: a continuous rumination of thoughts, plans, worries...

Have you ever wondered what value silence has?

I have and I’m realising that its value is priceless. Without silence we cannot hear the voice of our souls. Without silence we inevitably live in a state of extreme nervous solicitation called chronic stress. Without silence we operate in a constant survival mode. Without silence we get sick.

Silence is a cure that should be prescribed to everyone. But the problem is that many people have also come to fear it because in the void of the silence you can often receive important sparks of intuition that undermine the life you have created. So it's better to kill the silence, it's better to fill it with words, sounds and noise to avoid being thrown off guard. 

I am very lucky; I live alone. For me it is easier to live in silence. But too often even I fall into the trap of the noise in having too many thoughts. It’s not always easy to silence the active mind. However, you can learn to stop listening to it and then, somehow, its tone lowers and the space in which something else happens widens. For me, when I do this, my breathing slows down, my heart calms and after a while intuition, clear answers, interesting considerations and a general sense of well-being arrive that makes me feel good. 

Silence is a precious space where I can re-connect with myself on a different level and where I can free my imagination and creativity. If I can also treat myself to a bit of silence in nature I experience a sensation of incredible expansion, as if my whole being is finally breathing in a wider and more relaxed way.

Experiencing silence changes you; you can no longer do without it because you understand how important and nourishing it is. There is no real music without pauses, without the silence between the notes; there is no real understanding without empty spaces between the words of a sentence.

We are on the threshold of summer. And in this moment I would like you to acknowledge the importance of silence, just as I am doing, and to offer yourself some nice slow breaks without sounds or words, where you can meet that part of you that gets lost in the noisy daily life. If you do so, I’m sure something magical and beautiful will happen for you too.

(pic credits Dhony Fachri Wibawa - Unsplash)