Photo by Guy Tetreault
Silence has a valuable place to play in my personal comfort blanket. It comes with some caveats though.
1. Does it really exist? I don't mean that as some sort of deep existentialist question or as one of those too clever by far eastern mystical cosmic questions ... "what is the sound of one hand clapping?". No, what I mean is there isn't really very much of the pure unadulterated stuff about. As soon as you turn off your radio, tv or ipod, or climb into the hills, or sit in a Quaker meeting, you realise that silence is actually usually full of noise. For instance, sitting in a Quaker meeting you become aware of a myriad of other sounds - someone's breathing, a clock ticking, distant traffic, your own heartbeat. Or climbing up a hill - when you reach the top there's the sound of the breeze and birdsong, but not silence.
So, the first caveat is that it's a relative thing. Therefore the silence you find is more of an absence of the usual sounds we fill our private space with. I suppose in a way it is literally expanding your own mini universe past your radio and out to hear what sounds the further world is making. And in expanding that universe there comes the chance to expand your mind a little.
Speaking personally I have no idea what complete silence sounds like as I have a permanent ringing in my ears. But before you start thinking how awful etc, don't because it's not like that for me. Luckily I've had it as long as I can remember so it is just normality for me. This might sound odd but I was in my 20's before I realised this wasn't the way most people experience the world. So the quieter it is the louder my ears buzz, so I really can only imagine what pure silence is like.
2. Which brings us neatly to the second caveat - that lack of the sounds we are used to and find comforting can be profoundly disturbing at times. Taking away all those protective noises that keep us safe and make us feel normal and connected to our world, well, take those away and you are left alone with your thoughts. Not always a good place to be.
Becoming acquainted with silence might therefore have to be done in small steps but I think it can be a very profound exercise. Many religious and spiritual paths use silence as a tool to discover deeper truths. There are the silent orders of Catholic monks and nuns, the Quakers who hold their meetings in silence, and the meditation techniques of the eastern religions. All are using silence as a way to access some deeper meaning, some new insights, some guidance.
Even if you don't use silence for prayer or meditation I think there is still something to gain by breaking into our normal routines. That change of pace shakes things up and opens up new possibilities. I'm sure as well that the old adage "a change is as good as a rest" is just as pertinent for your brain as for your body. A rest from the same old radio station might just give your head an opportunity to think along different lines - and who knows what inspiration could germinate from that?
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