Are We Afraid of Silence?
By Ann Christine Johnson
Most of us tend to avoid silence. Instead, we surround ourselves constantly with other people, walk around with plugs in our ears attached to some form of technology, or have noise blaring throughout the house or car when we are alone. The noise makes it difficult for us to hear ourselves think, and impossible for us to achieve any level of inner silence. As well, when there is a lull in a conversation, we want to fill that lull because we feel awkward in the moments of silence.
We may slip easily into talkativeness in an effort to avoid getting to know ourselves in great detail; to escape something within ourselves that is difficult to face; to cope with feelings such as restlessness and boredom; to alleviate feelings of uneasiness; to feel less isolated and more connected to others; as a way of making new contacts and friends; and 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 is always some noise going on around us. In silence we can learn a great deal about ourselves through our inner voice and the wisdom that is available. We can have the opportunity to face and appreciate who we are; to find that place within ourselves that is safe and calm. In silence, we can become aware of the presence of God–the one who loves us better than we could ever love ourselves. By learning to be as silent in our mind as we can be each day, it produces a positive change within that will be visible to those around us.
Real silence is not simply the absence of speaking or the absence of external sounds. It is an opportunity to explore the quality of our thoughts. Real silence is attaining both external and internal silence. When we are at peace within silence, we free ourselves from the onslaught of thoughts and thought patterns. We feel the love and the peace of God.
Thinking and speaking endlessly requires a lot of time and energy. If we do not curb the endless chatter in our heads along with the need to talk incessantly to others, we will become exhausted eventually. Once we get into the habit of being silent as often as possible thoughout the day, we save your energy for when we need it most.
Sitting in silence and solitude each day will allows us to quiet the mind. We go past alleys and attics of the mind into the ‘world of transcendence.’ By having physical silence, we can encourage inner silence. Opening ourselves up to inner silence permits us to experience the inner self–the inner divinity, inner essence and active presence within you that is eternal, unchanging, undiminished by time – source energy of peace, power, love, happiness, freedom, harmony, understanding, grace, joy, bliss, creativity, prosperity, vitality and all possibilities. This enables us to start modelling these spiritual qualities to others in ways that may be surprising…encouraging those around us to start exhibiting these spiritual qualities as well.
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope!
About the Author
Ann C. Johnson Assoc MAPS: General Psychologist has worked in the helping professions for the past 35 years. In the past seven years she has published three books on personal and spiritual development. Inspired by posts she reads on Facebook, she continues to write pertinent articles on a regular basis. Ann is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annjohnson1948
