THE MAGIC OF SILENCE

 

“Listen to Silence. It has so much to say.” – Rumi.

 

Silence comes from the Latin word silens, which means still, quiet or at rest. By and large, Silence is perceived as a period without speech or sound. However, Silence is not merely an absence of sound but a state of mind where one can disentangle from the 

external milieu and focus within to contemplate what matters. 

 

A lot of us are scared of Silence. Many of us interpret Silence in a conversation as “awkward” or somehow relaying a message that the conversation is not going well or that the relationship is not strong enough to keep the conversation going. As Sara Maitland quips:

“Instant and constant verbal communication is experienced not as a pleasure but as a necessity. Silence in public places, like libraries or churches, is increasingly considered oppressive rather than valuable.”

 

The world is full of clamour all around us. It often gets difficult to cope with it. We tend to lose touch with ourselves, leading to flawed behaviour and ineffective communication. The key is to learn the art of Silence. 

 

Silence is pivotal for pleasant communication. 

 

Active listening is the fundamental prerequisite for purposeful communication. When we can listen carefully to others, we learn more about them and ourselves. It is feasible only when we stay silent and listen intently. Being silent is paying respect to the words of others. This will pave the way to a stronger relationship.

 

Silence allows us to collect our thoughts before we respond. Our tendency to react rather than respond is a big communication spoiler. We instinctively utter the words in a hurry, which we regret later. To get a better conversation, one must use brief pauses to give the other person a chance to think and better understand both your own and the other person’s perspective. We then respond rather than react. 

 

Silence breeds good decision-making. Our mind gets more time to process the situation. The mind receives more clarity, which is crucial for decision-making. Silence is gold when we do not have an answer on hand. The conventional norm is to answer immediately (even though we know we are not sure of it). We fear our image in other people’s minds will go down if we don’t answer. It is far from the truth.

 

We must learn to stay silent for a while when we are angry. It allows us time to cool down and use our words wisely. Instant communication from an angry mind is devastating for relationships.

 

At times, Silence generates the most impactful sound. Let me elaborate - We do encounter some people who keep on abusing us, expecting us to react. A studied silence takes them off balance and frustrated. Silence is eloquence !

 

Another good time to use the power of Silence is during an argument. For instance, when someone is shouting at you, looking for an argument, you can take all the power away from him and save all your energy by simply looking back at them, saying absolutely nothing. Yes, it is tough to do, but it fetches powerful outcomes.

 

Observe the creative people. They embrace Silence a lot. Silence stimulates the imagination and inspires innovative thinking, unlocking new ideas and solutions.

 

It would be worth putting into practice this dictum from Buddhism – Do not speak—unless it improves on Silence.

 

However, Silence is not always golden. We must use our discretion. We must speak and raise our voices if we encounter injustice, unethical practices or exploitation. We can't stay silent when our near and dear ones seek our support, encouragement, or validation. Remaining silent in such a scenario would be counterproductive. This could be termed as Negative Silence. The reality is that most of us know how to say nothing; few of us know when.

 

What we discussed so far was about VERBAL SILENCE. The real challenge is to go beyond it and attain MENTAL SILENCE.

 

Noise from our external environment percolates inwards, and our inner voice gets drowned over time. By immersing ourselves in mental Silence, we can heighten our self-awareness. We unearth our tranquil space to help us become calm & peaceful. We can eliminate undue stress and realign our goals with better clarity. 

 

Please heed the words of wisdom from famous monk Thich Nhat Hanh – “There’s a radio playing in our head, Radio Station NST: Non-Stop Thinking. Our mind is noisy, so we can’t hear the call of life or love. All the wonders of life are already here. They’re calling you. If you can listen to them, you can stop running. What you need, what we all need, is Silence.”

 

Mother Teresa’s words are enlightening: “ 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.”

 

The only pillar of religion and spiritual life is Silence. It is an experience that transforms our lives to attain complete fulfilment within. 

 

Osho elaborates it so well: “ Your inner world has its own taste, has its own fragrance, has its light. And it is utterly silent, immensely silent, eternally silent. The Silence that I have been talking about is the Silence of the heart. It is a song in itself, without words and sounds. Meditation, and only meditation, is the key to open the doors of your own being.”

 

It is a difficult task for most of us, but the key is to open our minds and consciously attempt to take at least the first step towards this fascinating journey.

 

Let me end with Bhagwat Geeta’s enriching words (17.16)

मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां ज्ञानं ज्ञानवतामहम् . 

(Amongst secrets I am Silence, and in the wise I am their wisdom.)

 

Lord Krishna refers to Silence as an austerity of the mind instead of an austerity of speech.

 

Let us all apprehend the magic of Silence – Verbal for interpersonal relationships and Mental for personal spiritual journey.

 

Is Silence not more eloquent than words?