SILENCE

SILENCE

Silence is golden. It sure is and sometimes its as hard to find as gold. I'm not talking about the "I'm not saying a word" silence. I'm talking about total quiet. Lie motionless in bed some night and listen to the quiet. Its fascinating and scary if you're not used to it.

My guess is that many people have gone years without real silence during their waking hours; maybe even when they are asleep. Not many people get in the car without having the radio blaring. TVs are on in the home at almost all times of the day. If not, a CD player or radio is filling the air.

I think silence must be good for the brain and also the soul. We can't shut our ears like we do our eyes and mouth. This sense is always available. Our brain shuts down our hearing when we sleep. But we can still be woken with the right sound that comes through loud enough. Its amazing how that works. Meditation, which is so good for our brains, is only possible with silence and complete quiet. It really takes practice to meditate for very long on a single subject. Eastern religions are way ahead of the rest of the world in this regard.

I think some people are afraid of silence. I walk in the park almost daily and really love it. Its great to hear the birds and frogs and ducks or geese. Even the wind blowing through the trees and the rustle of leaves caused by a chipmonk scurrying about is a treat. I leave my iPod in the car but more than half of those I pass have ear plugs in place. What a shame.

Sensual deprivation is a form of torture for most people. Not monks They use it to get closer to their goals. There is something to be learned here.