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The Wonder of Silence..!

By Robert Clements. Dated: 9/21/2018 4:12:29 PM

The world today hates silence: In fact I'm beginning to think, people are scared of silence. There was a time I travelled by the local train, and quite often the compartment would be quiet with maybe an occasional word uttered between two friends.
Today there is a cacophony of noise as everybody chatters away on the mobile.
It's like, "Oh my God, I'm going to be alone on this train, I can't handle those silent moments. Let me dial a friend!"
And the conversation, quite often unnecessary spoils the wonder of silence, which that person could have experienced and enjoyed.
Here's an experience of silence I went through in Chicago, at the beginning of this year:
I decided against the wishes of my wife and relatives to go outside. It was about 20 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit), there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the air had absolutely no wind. The moon was not bright, but the stars against the white of the snow on the ice made it bright enough for me to see, barely.
The ice was frozen four feet thick. The road, filled with snow stretched about two and a half miles to the gate. It had been below zero for weeks. The ice was freezing deeper and deeper, which caused pressure in the ice to increase to a point that would create fissures, and occasionally ruptures I was told.
Usually icicles appeared on rooftops and atop garage doors and I was told they were dangerous, "Don't ever walk below them Bob! They are worse than daggers!" They looked beautiful, just now! I stood out on the ice, and just as I about to go back into the warmth of the house, I was overwhelmed by the total silence around me.
It felt like the air around me was pressurized and pushing in on me, like even my thoughts were muffled. I could hear the urgent rasp of my breath (and see it in dense plumes). My steps made twist crunch sounds on the snow, but if I stopped, and held my breath, then I was the only thing alive in the whole cold universe. My heartbeat, yes I could actually hear my heart beat.
Silence made me feel alive, more alive than I'd ever been before!
In silence you discover yourself!
There's nothing to be scared about when you suddenly have no one to speak to. Just enjoy those moments of silence. Go into absolute stillness and you will find yourself entering into your own self.
After practicing this experiment a couple of times, you will find that even in a noisy environment you can silence yourself, and become still. Learn to experience silence; it will make you feel alive, more alive than you've ever been before..!
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