Silence

Seldom can we experience silence by chance anymore. Walkmans, TVs, radio, traffic, and household appliances keep us company. There isn't any moment in a day when we would feel the silence without active effort. It takes a power blackout to get us even close to the silence. What is it like, the sound of silence?

We fill our life with action. Motion is important; destination and purpose are secondary. This is the case with silence as well. We regard it as something unnatural. We are afraid of the silence—the emptiness. It feels like something is missing or something is not right.

What happens when we are totally silent? By silence I mean internal silence—our mind is at rest. Naturally it helps if there are no external noises either. But when we are focused, the outside voices disappear to the background. Silence is an opportunity; it is a chance to experience something new. We can start to hear the sound of silence. By removing all the motion and noise one sets the mind free for something else to emerge.

Silence can teach us and let us experience something new. When we experience it more deeply, we start to realize that emptiness and silence are not totally without anything. Actually, they are the opposite. But we have to be openminded and humble to experience the sound of silence.