Silence

I had an interesting conversation yesterday about silence. My husband was explaining to me how one of his dear friends seemed to have this problem feeling comfortable when no one was talking. “It was as if she had to speak to fill this ‘empty’ space,” he told me. “So much so, that she seemingly could not stop talking, and if she did, it was only to take a breath so she could continue her story to ‘fill the void.’” My husband likes to talk, but not so incessantly. He generally prefers to communicate at a more spiritual and emotional level, rather than just through using words. This was difficult for him, the having to listen to the constant speaking, and it made him feel uncomfortable.

Then I had a thought. Why is it that some people seem to be so uncomfortable with silence?

My husband and I talked about it for some time and I came to this (personal opinion) conclusion: that when it is silent, truly truly silent, it is almost as if time has frozen around you. Like you have to feel the air with your hands and arms just to make sure you're still there.

What an interesting concept. I had never really thought about that before. It’s like the silence brings you to this one moment in time, and there you are. Maybe you’re alone, maybe you’re not, but it doesn’t really matter, because it’s quiet. It’s just you and your thoughts. You’re like this living body moving through this frozen time; this expansive, Truman Show type of world where you’re trapped in this empty, frozen space that goes on as far as your imagination can take it—which for most, I believe, is pretty far. Sometimes that can be scary and a bit overwhelming, because when we are faced with ourselves, with no distractions, we see how much there is to each and every one of us. So much so that for some it’s too much to deal with right now, so let’s just deal with it later… And in the midst of the noise, we lose ourselves again.

I think that’s why so many people like distractions and choose to not to do things like meditate either. They seem to have some strong resistant feelings towards it, because when faced with the overwhelming amount of things going on inside all of us, we generally tend, and many times prefer, to distract ourselves, with anything around, and choose to leave our thoughts for another time.

To me “silence is deadly” only because “silence” is what stops us from connecting to ourselves in a way that could truly help us to LIVE much more satisfying and fulfilling lives.

If only we would take the time to enjoy the silence and look within, we would literally astound ourselves.

I feel like that’s what I’m trying to do. Instead of “breaking the silence,” I am choosing to indulge in it. To hear my thoughts, to see my dreams, to feel my wants, my desires, my emotions…not from what’s surrounding me, but from the inner most depths of my very being. And in doing so, I personally feel like I am moving towards being able to connect to others on a deeper and more profound level than ever before, because I now know the depth and mysteries the silence can reveal. In connecting to my own “human” self, I have found a way to connect to other humans better than ever before. It truly is astounding how amazing we all really are, if only we would take the time to hear it from ourselves, in the silence …

Break the Mold, Indulge in Silence, See what You are Capable of!