Silence

 For the last few days, I have been alone at home – except for the cat, and I have enjoyed some intentional periods of silence. No TV, no music- nothing. It was almost a revelation – I enjoyed it and will attempt to indulge myself more often. 

We live in such a vociferous world, and it’s getting rowdier by the minute. If you think about it – walks in secluded areas- like woods, beaches, or just simple treks, fill us with a sense of tranquility. They help us clear our minds, think, strategize and focus.

   I vividly remember going for a rather long walk in a forest area in Wiesbaden, Germany some years ago, and it was serene to say the very least. I guess that’s why more and more people are going for mini breaks, to cabins in the mountains, resorts in the hills, or to secluded houses, surrounded by lush and dense forests.  The idea of investing in farmhouses in India was probably started with the need for ‘silence’ in mind,

“Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence” Leonardo da Vinci. 

Never a truer word was spoken.

Go to a meeting, and everyone is focused on being heard.  The silent ones are looked at with disdain. Isn’t that strange? Is listening considered a weakness in today’s noisy world?  Is it imperative to say your piece  before everyone else?

Innumerable experts and quite a few research studies have confirmed, that in our clamorous world, time spent in silence can bring numerous health benefits. Though an absence of sound may suggest emptiness, you may discover that dialing down the noise levels, offers surprising fullness for the body, mind, and spirit. Modern-day ailments and conditions like insomnia, distress, anxiety, deafness, blood pressure, ADHD, restlessness, and a feeling of general malaise, are all connected to excessive noise in some way or the other. It is for this reason that health professionals, ecologists, and even hobbyists, have gone to great lengths to seek out the quietest places on the earth.   Today, our daily routine, and our very existence are swamped with noise, and we are to blame because we love it.

Wake in the morning - switch on the music.

Nothing to do - put on the TV

Get in the car - the radio is there for company, or we are calling someone just to chat.

Television and the phone are certainly both culprits, and interestingly our best friends too! Phone conversations have become considerably longer, and the time spent staring at the idiot box does precious little for our health. In the present day and age, we often become rather uncomfortable in the disconcerting silence, and rush to join the cacophony at the slightest opportunity!

Watch people out for a walk – the majority either wear headphones or are engrossed while talking on the phone. Then there are the honkers and the hooters, in some countries, and they pride themselves on the tone and volume of the horn at their fingertips – a most annoying pastime, and something I detest. 

The external stimulus of noise follows us everywhere and lessens our power to concentrate, and we are to blame. We have become so accustomed to deafening noise that it fails to bother us. I looked at a video yesterday, where music was being blasted at full volume, rather late in the evening, in a residential society in Pune.  Something was being celebrated and that’s fine – but at those decibels? 

It’s about time we realized the value of silence.