Listening to Silence?

"True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment."
~William Penn

We seem to be experts as noise these days, don't we? We have perfected the craft of interruptions, chaos, and stress. In the morning we wake up to an alarm clock, turn on the TV or radio to watch or hear the news, get into our cars and turn on the stereo, or put earbuds in our ears as we hop onto the bus or train. We get to work, listen to customers, office machines, cell phones, cars, trucks, and our bosses. We eat lunch talking with frineds only to return to our work and continue another half-the-day of the same thing.

Then we come home and turn on the TV, play video games, work on the computer, talk, go-out, maybe go to the gym where we listen to music as we work out. We finally crawl into bed, sometimes even sleeping to a fan blazing white-noise just to drown out the bustle around us.

Like ripples on the surface of a lake, we have become outstanding at splashing around, creating waves. But how often do we simply pause, stop, and wait... to let the ripples dissapate and clear and notice the beauty of a still, glassy lake?

I would like you all to listen to something with me, I only need ten seconds. Ready? Ok, here we go.

(Ten seconds of silence.)


Did you hear that? THAT was silence. Weird, huh? There was nothing to it and it didn't take you any effort to do. It didn't even cost you anything. Let's try it again, But before we begin, this time I'd like to ask you to think about your favorite place. That place you go to relax. One of mine is in the midwest in springtime when the snow forgives itself into a thousand glassy lakes mirroring the colors across the horizon with nobody but the wind and the wild as far as the eye can see.

So let's try this again. Think of your favorite place just for this next 10 seconds. Don't think about anything else.

Ready? Ok, here we go.

(Ten seconds of silence.)

There, wasn't that nice?

Some of you may remember the poem entitled "Disiderada". The writer who is still unknown begins by instructing, "Go placidly amidst the noise and the haste and remember what piece there may be in silence."

Remarkable words, wouldn't you agree? Remarkable, and challenging.