The Power of Silence
A silent person can be seen as “speaking” volumes and can also be seen as in a state of reflection. Conversational silence as well as reflective silence are both powerful ways to to communicate to others and to ourselves. Let me explain:
In a conversation, when one person is speaking, hopefully the other is silent and listening. Often our minds are busy contemplating a response and not truly silent. We don’t want to forget what we want to say, so we are often not listening. To listen, we need to be silent.
Another example is when we are upset with someone and decide to stop conversation. As the saying goes, “____ is getting the silent treatment.” That may be a blessings because anything saying, often cited by mothers, is “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.”
I believe there is also a silence we don’t use as often as we should (I’m including myself here!). The silence of being. Whether it be in your home, your office, in a meadow, in the car… The communication we can have with ourselves when we surround ourselves in silence can be profound. We are often surrounded with music, chatter of others’ communications, the humming of electronics, the sound of the heater or air conditioner, that we don’t really know what to do when we encounter silence. I suggest we relish it and let our minds wander. The thoughts and conversations you find within your mind may astound you if they are given the chance to be heard!
There are certainly times when we need to give a voice to our thoughts and feelings. There are other times though that the best thing we can do is to keep and allow our mind and our mouth to be silent!
May you know when to be verbally and mentally silent as you journey along your path!