Let me start with a simple question that has been on my mind for long:

About 4-8 centuries ago a messenger used to travel to deliver a message let’s say from place A to place B in about 3 months. Today, we deliver this message in 3 minutes. Technology would have made our life easier if after sending this message, we shall rest and would be free for the rest of the time of 3 months?
Shouldn't it be so?

Instead we have drowned ourselves into an ocean of anxiety by firing our brain neurons with about 1 million thoughts/second.

Today, I want to challenge ourselves to

Find the truth behind our anxiousness and the “so called” myth of “technology has made our life easier”

Mental noise is hurting our minds — we are constantly in an unknown anxiousness. We are in ‘reacting mode’ that leaves us no room for self-reflection. To regain the calm perspective of life we need to wander to the lands of nothingness.

When was the last time you push the pause button in your life? Silence is not just lack of noise. It’s an empty space for your mind to recover clarity. And to protect it from mental noise.

Silence is an endangered species

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” — G.K. Chesterton

Noise keeps us busy. Our brain is continually exposed to internal and external stimuli. Silence feels impossible, like emptying our spirit.

What creates noise in your life?
Social media notifications, Netflix binging, overthinking, constantly being surrounded by others, and overloading our calendars are just many of the infinite ways to avoid silence. We’ve turned noise into entertainment — it provides a temporary distraction so you can’t pay attention.

Noise is contaminating our minds but we feel by making noise we are heard but..

“He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.” — Elbert Hubbard

Silence is not about the absence of sound but the presence of something else. Your mind is like a canvas — if it’s full of noise, you can’t paint anything new on it. When we are in silence, we make room for everything else. When you remove the noise, your essential self speaks up. However, though it’s a magnificent revelatory experience, it can backfire if you don’t prepare adequately. The voices we hear in silence can create worrying noises. Without self-reflection, there’s no understanding. Silence lets your inner voice become present. Getting rid of the noise is more an aspiration than a reality. Being in front of white canvas or blank page can be intimidating. That’s why most of us run away from silence.

Silence has many meanings

“Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.” — Leonardo da Vinci

Interesting aspect of it is that Silence is cultural. For the Japanese, silence is more positive than it is for other populations. Japanese people highly value silence as an essential form of non-verbal communication — it conveys information, emotions and it’s a sign of respect and personal distance. In the Western world, silence is associated with doubt, loneliness or pain. If you tell your friends that you need silence, they might understand the feeling.

But if you don’t answer their messages for 12 hours because you opted to stay silent, they will assume something is wrong with you.

Silence is more than a beautiful state of mind; it positively benefits your health:
• It helps grow new brain cells.
• It decreases stress by lowering blood cortisol levels and adrenaline.

How to recover the power of silence

Practicing silence is not easy. Going for a walk outside in nature, taking a deliberate break or practicing deep breathing exercises are easy ways to get you started.

Try the following exercises and see which works best for you. Start in small doses. Being silent can backfire at the beginning. It takes time to enjoy the benefits of not being distracted by noise:

1. The Silence Exercise
   David Swartz, a history professor, uses this exercise as a transition after one of his courses. He invites students to write a short paper on silence. During 90 minutes, everyone focuses on the task without speaking.

2. Beyond the word
   This exercise is based on an ancient Indian prescription: if you read for one hour, write for two hours and meditate for three hours. The purpose of such proportion is to avoid being blind recorders of other people’s words or ideas. You can stick to the ratio but start with a shorter duration for each part.

3. The Silence Game
   This Montessori Exercise builds on the concept that, deeper awareness and sensitivity to noise, help us get into a “more refined and subtle world.” Constant noise can create irritability, frustration, confusion, and even sleepiness. The purpose of this exercise is to make silence collectively.

4. The sound of one hand clapping
   Our logic says that we need two hands to clap. “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” is a Zen challenge that has several interpretations. Some say that it’s a way to help you listen to other sounds — your heart, the rhythm of your breathing or the awareness of your mind. Others believe it’s a metaphor how we see life with a dualistic approach: cause and effect.

5. Meditation: The Silence That is Listening
   Listening to sounds is powerful to quiet the thinking mind. It will help you connect with the natural openness of awareness. By becoming more receptive, you can welcome your full presence and the peace of quietness.

6. Become silent for a day
   This exercise is about cutting the chord literally and metaphorically without attending a silent retreat. You can define what ‘a day’ means for you. I would suggest that you aim for, at least, 4–6 hours. And then gradually increase it.
   Becoming silence is about unplugging from social media, emails, phone calls, and every other form of communication — including face-to-face dialogue. You need to set up some grounding rules to those close to you.

How do you deal with silence?

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