On the Value of Silence

   

In my trips down memory lane, I often remember my mother when, in her occasional frustration, would shake her head and grumble, “I can’t even hear myself think!” Often it would be during noisy episodes at home but it also could be when she just couldn’t gather her thoughts. I think we all know these feelings… and even more so today… because the means of rapid inflow of information now causes us to scramble even more.

Noisier world than ever...

It is absolutely a noisier world than ever, with sounds coming at us all the time, even from the tiny phones in our pockets. It is no wonder that we cannot “hear ourselves think!” I believe that, no matter how much we may value our lives and activities, there are just times when we must find silent spaces so that our own thoughts can come to us easily and effortlessly. When my thoughts can’t make it through the din, my little trick is to sit at the computer and play a game or two of solitaire. The soft shusheling of the cards and the automatic motions of play allow lapses and gaps in the demanding sea of ideas and help my own thoughts to unfold peacefully within me, sometimes letting a tidbit of needed information float up before me.

Silence holds healing...

Certainly it is wonderful to have lives that call to us, but silence holds healing in its noiseless movements. The quiet bears gifts that can never be found in the ceaseless clatter of daily life. The wise person knows this and makes certain that there are times of silence in the day. Love comes unannounced… softly and sweetly… and it needs a quiet track to bring its light to the mind and heart.


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