If You Want to Hear More, Sit in Silence

Silence is power

“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.”

Khalil Gibran

Picture it. You’re out to lunch with a good friend. You’re engaged in an animated conversation. You both agree on certain topics and disagree on others. But you do so, with respect and enthusiasm.

There’s plenty of laughter. It’s an all-around great time. Then a hush cuts through as your friend’s voice trails off. Neither of you says anything for what feels like an eternity.

Finally, someone breaks the awkward silence with a joke. You both laugh and immediately flow back into the conversation until it’s time to say goodbye.

You think back to how much fun you had. It was a perfect outing…except for those hellish moments of silence.

Should You Fear Silence?

Silence can sometimes feel unbearable.

Many people treat silence like a plague that needs to be eradicated.

They feel like something is wrong if things are too quiet. But is this the right relationship to have with silence?

In silence is when we find the answers we so desperately search for.

It’s how we hear the voice of our inner self calling to us. It’s also how you become more in tune with your mind and body.

Silence is your salvation.

Yet many people would rather clutch to a world of manufactured distractions before embracing silence.

Silence And Uncertainty

“Let silence be your general rule; or say only what is necessary and in few words.”

Epictetus

Humans are terrified of uncertainty.

We can’t stand the feeling of not knowing. We feel this way because our minds immediately jump to the worst-case scenarios. When we’re around other people and they fall silent, we become uneasy and anxious. This is the uncertainty creeping in.

We’re uncertain if the person is upset.

We’re wondering if we’ve done something wrong.

There’s an impulse to cut through the silence with any kind of noise because we feel that the silence is torture.

We’ve drifted away from our true nature and are now inexperienced in environments that promote stillness.

We get antsy.

We need distractions…any distractions.

But all of this is a lousy way to go about living.

Because a life devoid of silence is no life at all.

Without silence, how do you hear your inner voice? The same one that provides solutions to your problems. The one trying to warn you before you make a grave mistake.

Our inner voice is trapped deep within us, and we can’t hear it because we need music, podcasts, TV shows, Instagram reels — anything to keep us stimulated.

It’s time we open our eyes to the grip these distractions have on us.

All Distractions, All The Time

We run from the uncertainty of silence and the anxiety of being alone with our thoughts.

Some of us prefer solitude. I’m one of those people.

But even people like myself struggle to find genuine silence.

I often need music to be playing in the background.

Why?

Maybe I’m just terrified of the feelings and thoughts I’ve buried deep inside.

When we’re forced to sit in silence and confront our inner world, we can become overwhelmed.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Sometimes, we need to feel overwhelmed so that we can make sense of our feelings. But to do so, we must turn the artificial noise down and invite stillness and silence into our lives.

Silence Is The Key

“A fool is known by his speech, and a wise man by silence.”

Pythagoras

How often have you said something that either hurt someone else or got you into trouble? Do you often feel bad after a compulsive rant? I know a lot of people do. But some of us can’t seem to help it.

That’s how many of us are. We are compulsive in what we say.

In silence, we can move from compulsiveness to consciousness.

From reactionary to mindful.

Silence is our natural state.

It’s how we connect to ourselves and the greater world beyond us.

We can even observe the benefits of silence in the wild. The way a lion catches its prey is through stillness and silence. The same goes for animals that are trying to survive. They also have to practice silence to avoid detection.

I know we’re not fighting the same battles for survival as the rest of the animal kingdom. But mastering silence could be the difference between living and merely existing.

Our Senses Are Calling

We’ve all heard the adage that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason — and it’s true.

We should listen more than we talk.

We should spend time away from music, the internet, and TV shows, so we can sit and connect with ourselves.

Our conscious mind is noisy as it is.

It’s always filling us with doubts and lies.

So, we must take time to sit in deep reflection and silence, so that we can address the state of our inner world.

We often take our senses for granted until one of them starts to fail us.

When we practice stillness and embrace silence, we’re better able to tap into our senses. And this can help us make better decisions, and read situations more effectively.

We always want to force a million-dollar idea out of our minds. Or we want to will ourselves to think of a solution for an ongoing issue in our lives.

But sometimes it’s best to surrender to silence and let the solutions come to you.

The Beauty In Silence

There’s nothing wrong with silence.

There’s no reason to fill the air with senseless noise if you don’t have something constructive to say.

Silence is beautiful. Lean into it.

We’ve become wired to fear silence. It’s time to get back to a place that values it. This allows for meditative moments of true self-reflection.

Through silence, we can start to choose our words more carefully. We can become better communicators by giving others more of our attention.

Even more, we allow our spirit to reach us in those moments when we’re looking for inspiration.

Being comfortable in silence is a strength.

One that can’t be taken away from us, once we master it.

Hi, I’m Jon. I’m here to empower and encourage you. I write about philosophy, spirituality, personal development, and human nature. To see my stories on your feed, consider following me (Jon Soto).

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