Silence

Silence is a simple word but there is so much depth to it that it has progressed to become a topic of research today. Silence has long been understood to be one of the fundamental elements in the aspect of spirituality. We see this in the practice of yoga and meditation. Even the famous sutra or line from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, ‘Yogas citta vritti nirodhah’ speaks of silencing the turbulence of the mind through yoga. Today, researches elaborate further on how silence is linked with the philosophy of the mind. There are also countless books written on it.

In today’s age of noise, silence has become too much to bear for many with some even associating silence with boredom. It is very common to see families in a constant chatter in their living room and the television would be turned on merely as a background noise. We have become so accustomed to living in a state of non-silence. Till date, libraries remain a place where silence is quintessential. People commonly find libraries a place to study in peace with no distraction. However, in today’s world of modern technology, complete silence is not appreciated. A majority of people are commonly seen with their headphones on engrossed in some type of music.

In silence, awareness of our senses is heightened and some of the most profound things in life are experienced in solitude. The context of heightened sense via silence can be experienced with tasting food. Close your eyes, empty your thoughts and place the juiciest fruit in your mouth. You will notice how your taste buds come to live when so much awareness is in one simple task done in a silent state of mind. Beauty really lies in simplicity. It’s amazing how something as simple as eating a fruit becomes enjoyable when so much attention is given to it.

Silence acts as a tool in resolving relationship issues via a common method known as the silent treatment. There is great importance in talking it out with someone shall an argument arise. However, there is great wonder in how the silent treatment works for a moment of time in preventing unnecessary throw of words against each other although this may require patience. Any argument will reach no solution when both parties are in the state of anger. When there are two people involved, misunderstanding of some sort is bound to happen because it is not always that two individuals will see eye to eye. In a state of silence, we are able to formulate thoughts in the faculties of our mind using words but the major difference here is that the words uttered will be rational and have little possibility of hurting the other person.

In a state of silence, your creativity will speak. In silence, we are meant to create beyond our capacity. When you wake up at dawn, your perspective of the world will differ from how you view the world when the sun has risen. When you are awake while the world is asleep, you gift yourself the opportunity to manifest your potential into reality. When the environment is calm, we are free from half the distractions in the outer world and can better focus on generating great ideas, forming a habit out of regular practice, self-reflection and planning the day ahead.

In conclusion, silence acts as a diverse element of life. It can help calm the mind, heighten the awareness of our senses, improve relationships, and enhance our creative potential. Silence is both an element that is beautiful when experienced and healing when applied in our lives.

By Thanusha D/O Gobu, TTC Batch 13