Silence: The Golden Expression

There are two sides to every belief. While communication is most important to the kind of era that we live in, does it make silence less golden? That is the question that arose in my mind when I read Ankit’s post on the importance of talking.

Does powerful communication rule what really matters to every individual at a very personal level? I guess different people have different experiences relating to talking. So, I am not sure why people who realize the importance of talking are the luckiest persons.

Silence: Variation in Connotations with Personalities

The importance of communication depends on the individual’s personality, scope of work and comfort zone. Politicians like Amar Singh talk more than they do and we know who are the unlucky ones – the listeners and voters in this country. But when Shashi Tharoor or Arundhati Roy raises an issue of public relevance, we listen because we believe they can make change happen through initiatives.

Sreesanth talks more than Sachin Tendulkar, but the impact of that talk depends considerably on the individual’s values and the extent to which he/she practices it in real life. This is because people relate what a person does and then maps it to what he/she spoke.  So much depends on the sincerity and commitment of an individual to his/her own self and that aspect cannot be quantified through parameters such as how much he/she talks to others.

My friends who work in the defence forces used to tell me that there are months when soldiers don’t talk to each other. They are focused and motivated by an inner goal. Silence does not make them less brave or less prepared to face the life threatening situations ahead. To a great extent, talking represents a comfort zone that is related to the work frontier too. I totally agree that silence and peace are not synonyms but I also disagree with the point that silence indicates a certain kind of discomfort which curtails a person from speaking out.

Silence or Equilibrium: It’s all in the Mind

Equilibrium, to me, is a state of mind. For the same reason, I cannot connect to the thought of false equilibrium because I think you can either experience it or you just don’t. You can’t actually experience or portray a false version of it because it is a state of the mind. The mind is not the individual but an intrinsic part of what the individual says and does. It sparks the starting point of all that is perceived about a person through his words and actions.

The Power of Silence

I’d also like to differ from the thought that silence or a state of not talking is always pointing to stagnation or is a sign of weakness. I believe it is a sign of inner strength. It becomes a powerful inner compass that guides you if you rely on it as it helps you to master the mind.

The world’s spiritual masters talk about silence as the golden time when you can hear the voice of God speaking to you and stilling what they point out as ‘the vagaries of the monkey mind.”  However, this does not mean that one must be silent all the time because there are times when speech is most critical.  Avoiding communication is a different thing altogether and it definitely reduces activity and possibilities for growth and synergistic interactivity.

Silence also points to reflection and contemplation that leads to cleansing negative energy from the heart and the body so that positive actions can be pursued. Talking creates energy waves which may not always lead to the right course of action, but silence is believed to be a reservoir of constant positive energy that is directed from the self back into the self. That is why healing the mind through silence and contemplation is an important aspect of meditation, counseling and so on.

The flip side is that silence may not open up solutions to immediate requirements or situations.  Perhaps we can write another post on this aspect later.  Till then, what are your thoughts and beliefs about silence?

Does silence speak volumes? Tell us what you think.