Why Are We So Afraid of Silence?
By Ann Christine Johnson
Most of us tend to avoid silence. Instead we surround ourselves constantly with other people or we have some sort of noise blaring throughout our home when we’re alone, making it difficult for us to hear ourselves think and impossible for us to achieve any level of inner silence. As well, when there’s a lull in a conversation, most of us want to fill that lull, because we feel awkward in the moments of silence.
Most of us avoid silence and slip easily into talkativeness in an effort to:
- Avoid getting to know ourselves in great detail;
- Escape something within self that’s hard to face;
- Cope with feelings of restlessness and boredom;
- Alleviate feelings of uneasiness and discomfort;
- Feel less isolated and more connected to others;
- As a way of making business contacts and friends;
- As an attempt to be ‘helpful’, often at everyone’s expense.
By avoiding silence we are missing out on the wonderful opportunity to know ourselves well; to get to know who we truly are in all our glory.
Silence is such a powerful thing, but not dead silence of course, because there’s always some noise going on around us. In silence you can learn a great deal about yourself. You can hear your inner voice and the wisdom that’s available to you. You can have the opportunity to face and appreciate yourself; to find that place within yourself that is safe and calm. In silence you can become aware of the presence of God: the one who loves you better than you could ever love yourself. By learning to be as silent in your mind as you can be each day, you will produce a positive change within yourself that will be visible to those around you.
‘Real’ silence isn’t simply the absence of speaking or the absence of external sounds. It’s an opportunity to explore the quality of your thoughts. ‘Real’ silence is attaining both external and internal silence. When you are at peace within silence, you can free yourself from the onslaught of thoughts and thought patterns; you will feel the love and the peace of God. Thinking and speaking endlessly requires a lot of time and energy. If you don’t curb the endless chatter in your head, and the need to talk incessantly to others, eventually you will become exhausted. If you get into the habit of being silent as often as you can throughout the day you will save your energy for when you need it most.
Sitting in silence and solitude each day will allow you to quieten the mind and to go past alleys and attics of the mind into the ‘world of transcendence’. By having physical silence you can encourage inner silence. Opening yourself up to inner silence will open you up to the experience of the Inner Self – the inner divinity, inner essence and active presence within you that is eternal, unchanging and undiminished by time – source energy of peace, power, love, happiness, freedom, harmony, understanding, grace, joy, bliss, creativity, prosperity, vitality and all possibilities. This will enable you to start modelling these spiritual qualities to others in ways that may surprise you, encouraging those around you to start exhibiting these spiritual qualities as well.
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Ann C. Johnson Assoc MAPS: Psychologist works in private practice in Carrum Downs, Victoria, Australia. She provides counselling services to adults, adolescents and couples with an emphasis on personal and spiritual growth. Ann’s interests include healing, clairvoyance, working with angels, healthy eating, writing, reading and watching DVD’s. Ann has written and published 3 books in the past 7 years. Visit Ann at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ann-johnson/18/58/272 or on FB at www.facebook.com/annjohnson1948.
