Silence
Absence of sound, obscurity, secrecy, muteness, shush. Just a few dictionary definitions of silence. Introverts understand silence to be their recharge setting. Extroverts sometimes use it, but mostly abhor it.
In an age where every detail about life is just a camera click + Instagram post away, a Facebook check-in or post, or a TikTok post, what does silence look like? Social media-wise – I’d say it looks like a deserted profile. No updates, no posts, no check-ins, no photos of your latest breakfast! And for some people nowadays, that is terrifying!
Will Rogers wrote, “Never miss a good chance to shut up,” and my mind instantly questioned just what are we usually saying when we’re not silent. Is it worth the effort to put together words and infuse them with breath? Is it mostly a blustering wind?
On reflection, usually when we talk we may just be looking for something to fill up the silence. A comment about the weather, an observation about the goings-on around us or something in the media, a complaint, or a general observation. It is not necessarily something we have thought out, thought through, and worth savoring.
So what makes silence so threatening? Why can’t we just spend time in silence? When I wake up in the morning, can’t I just go about my business in the quiet of the morning without inviting the radio conversation into my space? Also, what is so odd about 2 people sitting together in silence?
Most of us have never tried spending hours in silence. Hence we are afraid of that void that leaves us with only our demons for entertainment. We are totally unfamiliar with them and terrified of them, so we keep making space for familiar voices to fill the spaces or even unfamiliar voices like strangers on public transport.
As a hiker, I have encountered many terrifying moments of silence. For instance, summit night on the big ones usually begins at an ungodly hour, heavily layered to fight off the cold, headlamp firmly fixed to your forehead. The climb is slow and arduous, the air is thin, and the night is thick as thieves. The goal is all too close. And in that silence of labored breathing is where the demons of doubt and discouragement love to thrive. Every ache is magnified; every stumbled step is a trumpet heralding doom. Many a hiker gives up too close to the summit, but only if they have come this far without mastering the art of remaining focused in the silence.
Some seasons in life look and feel like the time between a seed being planted and the plant germinating. Being buried deep in the soil, drowning in water and darkness, rotting and shedding the seed coat. It doesn’t mean we are dead; we have just been planted. In due time, the epicotyl will break through the soil in search of sunshine, and with the right conditions, it will soon be a blossoming plant.
Do seeds shout about the injustice of the dark, damp soil? Do they go on a social media campaign to let all and sundry know just how unfair life is? Do they announce that tomorrow I’m coming through the soil?
Chaim Potok wrote in The Chosen, “I’ve begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own.” All I have learned about myself I have done in silence. In those moments when there are no distractions, I get to understand how I think, why I think that way, what my real motivations are, and the extent of the evil within me. Indeed, I do not delude myself about my angelic qualities. “There but for the Grace of God go I.” ~ Desmond Tutu
I will leave you with 7 lessons that a Zen master taught about silence.
1. Silence can help us focus and think more clearly.
2. Silence can help reduce stress and help you relax.
3. Silence can help you connect with your inner self.
4. Silence can help you listen to others and understand their point of view.
5. Silence helps build relationships and connect with others on a deeper level.
6. Silence can help you be more creative and come up with new ideas.
7. Silence can help you be more mindful and appreciate the present moment.
In the days to come, find moments of silence to just listen to the void. You just might hear the praise song of a tree, or finally, you might just hear what that person has been saying all along.
“We need to find God; 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.” ~ Mother Teresa
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