The Power of Silence

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We live in a society marked by the noxious effects of pollution - of the air we breathe, the lakes and rivers we swim in, our very soil… And let’s not forget that constant barrage of sounds around us: intermittent, constant, ultra-loud, etc. Our environment is getting increasingly noisier by the day, to the point where some are willing to actually pay for quietness.

Do you ever feel you just want a break from all the ambient noise around you - phones ringing you up at work and home, on your cell, people chatter, traffic rushing by your home? How is all this noise affecting you?

The answer is clear - noise pollution clutters your mind and distracts you from connecting to the source of energy from which you come, which your harbor within you.

Noise pollution can often cause stress, stifle your intuition, and inhibit creative thinking. Now, in exchange for a week of soul-refreshing silence and reflection, our society has reached the point where we’ll shell out a full $900 or more to participate in these retreats.

A typically urban means of reaching this silent nirvana is illustrated by “nap pods” that are now found in many offices in any given metropolis. The clear purpose of these short retreats is to help you escape from all the noise, relax, get in touch with your core energy, and feel rejuvenated.

The good news is that you don’t have to pay for your moment of silence. You can experience this at home, in nature or in your parked car, starting with five minutes of silence a day. Some may call this meditation. I prefer not to label it at all.

By practicing silence regularly - if possible, daily - you become more focused, relaxed and less bothered by negative situations as they arise around you. Your old automatic responses become tempered by a sense of detachment and objectivity as you focus less and less on the various sources of that negativity.

Thus, you learn to transcend the hurtful gossip and pettiness to which you may be exposed, attempts to control others and intimidate them, and in conflicts of interest, you are more apt to create a solution that the warring parties never envisioned.

You’re not overlooking all these negative elements - you’re just not likely to be drawn into the dramas that play around you, or to feed into their fear-driven effects, even if someone attempts to draw you in. You just don’t react blindly at every occasion.

Silence also allows you to hear your inner voice for inspiration and intuition. It is in your ambient and inner silence that you may find the solution to a problem that’s been tugging at you, or inspiration that generates a great new idea.

Ideally, it would be best to dwell in our stillness of mind and body for about 20 minutes a day, but if that’s too lofty a goal, then just start with five minutes, and increase your time-out as you learn to create the space for it.

Find a comfortable place, turn off your cell phone, and shut out any distractions. Close your eyes and clear your mind of any thoughts. At first it may be difficult to do, but learn to just let them come across your mind and then dismiss them. The more you practice, the more you will train your mind to be still.

Keep doing this exercise regularly. Practicing this method in the same comfortable place each time will be helpful, allowing you to sink into yourself without the unexpected distractions other places would bring.

As you practice in the same place each time, you’ll find that the location will build a welcoming energy of its own - residue of previous moments of silence and reflection. And each time, it will become easier to relax.

Focusing on silence once a day is good; twice a day is better; and three times would be terrific, even for only for a few minutes per session.

I’ll leave you with a short story by author Paulo Coelho.

In Search of a Wise Man

A man and a woman traveled for days, almost without speaking. Finally the couple arrived in the middle of a forest and encountered a wise man. “My companion said almost nothing to me during the whole journey,” said the young man.

“A love without silence is a love without depth,” answered the wise man.

“But she didn’t even say she loved me!”

Said the sage: “Some people always claim that love - and we end up wondering if their words are true.”

The three of them sat on a rock, and the wise man pointed to the field of flowers all around them. “Nature isn’t always repeating that god loves us. We only realize that through his flowers.”