Summary

The article reflects on the author's journey from a childhood need for noise to block out silence, to an adult appreciation for the clarity and truth that silence can bring.

Abstract

The author describes a personal struggle with silence during childhood, revealing a deep sensitivity and a reliance on background noise to sleep. Initially judging these needs as quirks, the author grew to understand the overwhelming nature of silence in contrast to life's noise. The article explores the idea that noise serves as a distraction from inner truths and unacknowledged aspects of the self, while silence can bring clarity and expose hidden truths. Drawing on the song "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel, the author emphasizes the unspoken words and unexpressed truths that silence holds. Ultimately, the author learns to embrace silence, finding it soothing and rejuvenating, and a source of personal strength and clarity.

Opinions

Silence was once deafening and frightening to the author, leading to a reliance on noise for comfort.
The author initially had a self-critical view of their childhood coping mechanisms for dealing with silence.
Noise is seen as a means to distract from inner truths and the discomfort of self-awareness.
Silence is acknowledged as a powerful force that can bring about clarity and confront one with their deepest needs and desires.
The article suggests that society often engages in communication without genuine connection, as highlighted in "The Sound of Silence."
The author has come to appreciate silence as a sanctuary that offers peace, grounding, and revitalization.
Silence is now seen as a home and a source of strength, rather than something to be feared or avoided.

The Silence Is Deafening

The comfort of noise

When I was a child I couldn’t sleep without music or the light machine on in my room. I needed to have something to help distract me from my imagination and senses. The silence and lack of stimulation otherwise were deafening.

As a child, I was deeply sensitive.

The sounds of my parents watching tv helped me sleep too. As long as some sort of background noise was on, I could peacefully fall into the land of nod.

I have more compassion for my younger self now, but for a long time, I judged my little quirks and weird needs.

Still to this day I understand how the silence can be deafening.

Contrast

The silence can simply be deafening in contrast to the noise. The noise of life. The chaos of busyness. The constant stimulation of everything. The city. The radio. The T.V. The computer. The constant never-ending noisiness of life.

The silence lays in stark contrast to the noise. It can be deafening.

As a child, the silence overwhelmed me. My mind became my own worst enemy and my powerful imagination took off from there.

It took me to dark places where the worst of my fears would play out. The demons of my mind took control and I didn’t know how to get back my power. Weaponized noise protected me via distraction.

Noise distracts

The noise distracts us from the truth. From ourselves. From that which we are trying to ignore.

The silence is deafening when we ignore our inner truth and our deepest gifts and innermost needs and desires.

The silence brings awareness to those parts of ourselves that lay neglected.

Silence brings clarity

The silence brings clarity. The truth is no longer hidden. Illusion can no longer reign supreme.

Clarity strikes like a bolt of lightning, awaking that which lays dormant, clarifying all that once lay covered with confusion.

Silence bears the truth

All the things never said that wanted to be said. All the truths that are not expressed. As best expressed in the Simon and Garfunkel song The Sound of Silence.

And in the naked light, I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never share

And no one dared

Disturb the sound of silence

The overwhelming noise of life was familiar and comfortable for so long — now I am learning to appreciate the silence.

The silence relaxes us if we can quiet our minds. If we can surrender to the pleasure of silence, rather than run from it.

The silence soothes and rejuvenates us. It grounds and revitalizes us. The silence is peaceful.

“Silence is a source of Great Strength.” ― Lao Tzu

It reminds me to lead from my heart and not my head. It reminds me of my powerful truth, the truth I no longer wish to run from. It reminds me of the strength I have forged from facing the silence.

The silence isn’t so scary anymore, it is home.