The sound of Silence

The unborn foetus lies in blissful silence within its mother’s womb. A river of amniotic fluid sloshes around it, gently nudging and caressing the being while it readies itself for birth. The unborn baby lies in this quiet, peaceful environment for nine months in blissful solitude. Then on the pre-destined day….. Boom! … she emerges, bawling its lungs out, into a loud and noisy world.

The world as we know it is characterised by sound and noise, strident, cacophonous and designed to always seek our attention. The aim of all human activity is to garner attention and say look, look at me! Social media posts that are viral become so because of the noise they create. Dialogue, music, laughter (recorded/ canned) voice overs, at least the majority of it is designed to be boisterous to get the viewers attention.

It is the same with the daily news, celebration, debates and arguments. We as a race are great at creating a ruckus to get what we want or to show the world our perceived importance.

The natural world on the other hand is more attuned to silence. Nature goes about its daily chores in tranquillity. The sun rises and sets in silence with breathtaking monotony. Trees grow tall and majestic in the quiet environs of the jungle.

While it has a language and sound of its own which is not intrusive, nature effortlessly maintains peace and quiet. The mighty oceans are an universe to themselves, teeming with marine life, yet unimaginably peaceful and quiet. Look upto the skies and stars and you will hear the stillness and silence of nature — a celebration in quietude.

If nature is inherently peaceful, why does man constantly need to showcase himself via the medium of sound? What is the constant need to be heard, to say something, anything, to justify your existence? It is because we have moved away from our natural instincts and our true nature. The world and its frantic pace is unrelenting in its efforts to get into our heads.

All of social media relies on sound to signal its presence. Listen to this says the gram while it pops an endless stream of videos with people dancing, singing, debating or jumping through hoops. News anchors are famous for their strident pitch which they have cultivated to ensure our attention does not wane as we listen to “breaking news”.

But stop for a moment. Shut down all devices and sit quietly by yourself. Turn off the TV and all notifications on your phone (I dare you). No sound, no distractions from anywhere. Pause for a few minutes in this self- enforced silence. How do you feel now ? Are you comforted by the silence that envelopes you and lets you think about what’s really important — yourself.

Or are you intimidated by the lack of sound and worried that you will now have to face the sound within? Sit in silence and observe your thoughts. I do this often as a morning ritual, to reset my thoughts and start the day on a calm and sure footing. On such days when I sit by myself for 10–15 mins, doing nothing, saying nothing and listening to no one, it is just me and my thoughts.

Being myself in solitude works wonders for me. After getting bombarded with the relentless chatter from devices, surroundings, neighbours and family, it is great to sit in the calm silence of an early morning and observe the mind starting to converse with you about your innermost feelings and thoughts that you have suppressed or glossed over in the day to day hustle.

When I sit in silence, the monkey mind continues to make a racket and assail me with doubts, terrors that tomorrow may bring, loneliness, getting old etc, the usual suspects for a Gen X guy like me. But then I shoo away the monkey (I actually mutter… f*ck off monkey mind under my breath and it works!) and look at the Budha sitting opposite, awash in calm and a regal silence, radiating peace steals over me.

My fevered mind along with my heart rate slows to an easy cadence, in tune with my silence. A sense of peace and joy draws over me like a warm blanket on a cold day.

Silence stills the body first and in doing so it also succeeds in eliminating the incessant chatter of the mind. Finally, when the mind is still, I begin to see the modern world as it really is — a place where on the surface, the noise predominates and distracts you, while the real treasures are found deep in the recesses of silence and within yourself.

Its time to reclaim what’s rightfully yours. Being silent will show you parts of yourself that you didn’t know existed. Try this today, sit in a comfortable place at home, free of any devices or distractions and look deeply into anything that gives your spirit solace — for me it’s the Buddha, for you it could be any other object — an oak tree in full bloom, your dad’s photo, or a crucifix.

Do this for ten minutes every day and you will find the treasure of silence that heals and uplifts you, quietens your demons inside and gets you ready to fight the battles of another day.