Silence: one sound that is unbearable loud

Khalil Gibran said?

“You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts;

And when you can no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a pastime.

And in much of your talking, thinking is half murdered”

Why Do We Talk So Much?

In Eastern cultures, it starts early, as guests come home small kids are asked to perform or speak, everyone claps or rewards talkativeness. Then schools take over; the one who blabbers all answers is the teacher's pet. The ability to speak is rewarded while the ability to listen is ignored if not punished.

It is not surprising that even the most accomplished business leaders have talked their way to failure.

I believe that we talk because we are scared of silence. The moment we stop talking our inner thoughts begin to rise, our deepest insecurities start to surface, and the questions whose answers we don’t want to know stare at us.

We hide behind noise to unhear what our inner self has to say. Even when we meditate we need calming music, yet another source of noise, and that too when we are searching for silence.

The silence of aloneness reveals to their eyes their naked selves and they would escape.

Why Should We Look For Silence?

Most often we hear leaders say their best ideas come when they are in the shower or in the loo or while meditating. Why? Because as Bhagwat Gita says J?āna Vij?āna Yog meaning Yog through the Realization of Divine Knowledge. And all the divine knowledge is within us. We need to connect with our soul to be able to tap into the fountain of knowledge.

How to Unlock the Power of Silence

If we wish to gain the power silence has, dedicating some of our time to it can help. Here are some steps that we can follow to practice silence and find peace:

• Digital Detox

This, I believe, is the most important step in the 21st century. It might sound impossible to you at first but you can start with weekends or times when you are completely free. Attaining your inner quiet is the ultimate aim here.

• Sacred pauses

When you are associated with a goal-oriented task (working on the computer, reading, cleaning, eating) taking sacred pauses works as a mini-meditation. Stop whatever you are doing, sit comfortably, close your eyes and take away any tightness in your body. Take a few deep breaths and while you do so exhale all your worries.

• Walk-in nature

There is nothing better than walking in nature to find peace and calm. If you have a beach around go there or maybe in the woods. Parks away from the main roads can work as well.

Silence: Practice For At Least 15 Minutes In A Day

Calvin Coolidge once said, “No man ever listened himself out of a job.” This is one of the other ways to look at silence. When you are silent you have more to listen to others. Let’s stop being an average person and talk 225 words per minute. But foster the ability to hear 500 words a minute.

Silence is golden. Would you be open to giving 15 minutes of your life to it?