Everyday Canvas

The Voice of Silence

Prompt: What is silence to you? How many kinds of silence can you name and write about?

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Silence has profound power. We all understand it intuitively. John Cage, the composer said, “Silence is never silent.” As a musician, he should know. The silence mark on the bars have to do with music as much as the actual notes.

Most in-depth communication is done in silence, like the silence between the two lovers when their eyes meet, the silence between a mother and her baby, or the silence of awe when watching a sunset…

There is also that silence when we listen to another person’s words, catching their significance, and re-forming them inside our minds because, if the other person’s speech is reflective and full of meaning, talking back and interrupting would be making noise.

Sometimes, saying nothing speaks louder than words, for silence vocalizes internal hurts, shock, surprise, and sorrow. Sometimes silence is rejected because of fear, the fear of hearing our own thoughts, especially when we are running from ourselves, but if we stand still and listen in silence, we may hear the beauty and wisdom of our internal voice.

Silence is not apathy. It is not omission. If in a conflict, it is the hiatus for allowing the skirmish to settle. Silence here is the refusal to act negatively. Silence is the desire to mend, to glue together what is broken. Silence is the balm.

Thomas Carlyle said, “Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves.” Poets understand silence. Their creativity peaks while listening to natural sounds, like the flow of water, the rustle of grass, the sound of inner calm… They know the insightful importance of silence through which the universe, its creator, and all that is spoken and unspoken can be heard. Spiritual beings and monks know this, too, and their silence shows their gratitude for all there is.

I believe our center inside is active always, and its voice can be heard through silence. For that we need no psychiatrist’s couch or a monastic education. We only need to listen to the silence within.