Silence

Silence is a difficult thing to find.

Image by Mrwson on Pexels

What passes for silence in this world is a local phenomenon, where the noises of the industrialized world are simply at a distance and we can hear the noises of nature: animals calling, shuffling through the leaves in the woods, splashing into the water as we approach. The sounds of cars and airplanes now cover the entire planet.

Even remote places like Yellowstone and maybe even the Himalayas have noise pollution.

At home, we have no silence though many appliances are quiet enough to let through the sounds of early birds calling outside closed windows. Of course, there is the mushy clicking of my keyboard to the soft continuo of the refrigerator. This morning the washer and dryer are not running, nor the dishwasher, nor even the kettle on the stove. The hum of the computer fan is the background noise.

Some folks developed a sensory deprivation chamber that not only blocks sound from outside but also breaks sound waves inside the room. The makers say that no one can stand absolute silence for more than 45 minutes, as even their heartbeats and gut rumblings seem very loud when there are no distractions.

But like anything else, it’s not so much what sounds are occurring, but which ones you pay attention to.

Is there silence between your ears?

What does it take to shut down the chatter and that grinding noise that accompanies your mind every day? (I don’t mean tinnitus, but even that gets worse with stress.)

The idea of meditation is to quiet the mind, to listen, to let thoughts pass by without comment as if hearing someone’s music from down the street.

I had a few moments of silence as my computer cranked up this morning, a couple of minutes while it loaded all the background programs. I closed my eyes and just breathed. I was also waiting for the coffee maker and the toaster oven to complete their tasks of making my breakfast.

I had a quiet moment instead of getting aggravated that I had to wait for a few seconds...well maybe a few dozen seconds.

Some people listen to the sound of their breath going in and out of their lungs. Others make a sound, chanting a mantra or humming, or they listen to specially designed music with alpha rhythms. It takes time to learn to shut off the “monkey mind” chatter, and let silence center inside despite the various vibrations outside.

At some mental level of mental relaxation, the background sounds help us keep focus as if there is a space around us that is silent even with the noise outside us. It is not a sleepy kind of relaxation, but a mental awareness.

This kind of silence can be found in rush hour, on a bus, in a park, or at work, if you can focus and center yourself. That kind of silence helps you put all your conscious energy into a particular thought, rather than scattering your energy on irritation, fretting, or overwhelm.

It helps if you can turn off the radio or the music so that you don’t have yet another demand for your attention. But if the music helps, by all means, you do you.

Another word for this kind of self-supportive silence is peace. It’s the “peace that passes understanding” and it’s an answer to stress and inner conflict. To get there, it may be necessary to tell the “monkey” to go play somewhere else. One reason many people like to listen to music while they work or study is to keep the monkey busy.

There’s nothing wrong with that either if we choose it consciously.

I think it’s important to pay attention to what you listen to if this is how you find your peaceful silence. Many songs have phrases that don’t bear repeating: “I can’t get no satisfaction” comes to mind. Even if you like the music, be aware of the words and make a playlist that supports your higher vibration.

And listen for the silence between the notes.