Is silence really “golden”?

Well, in short, yes it is. The power of silence is an often underestimated one. People don’t generally like silence. Why is that?

When you are silent you are thinking. So are you ever really silent? Not particularly. But that is the time I am talking about. We must all practice silence. It allows us to practice channeling our inner wisdom and get more accustomed to our own minds. We have all been blessed with the strongest, most complex piece of machinery ever known to man, yet we don’t understand how powerful it can be if used sincerely. Silence is one of the best ways to do that. Hear that voice inside your head. Understand what it has to say and feel it.

People like to fill silences. There is a term known as an awkward silence. What makes it awkward? Is it just the silence we fail to embrace or is it society dictating to us that we can not remain silent? That whenever two or maybe more people meet, they must converse. I feel like both are intertwined. One is the causation of the other.

Our brains deserve silence. Don’t you think so? When was the last time you consciously switched off? Just relaxed! Every one of us has a mind yet very few are truly one with it. Most people are just strangers in their own lives! If you don’t enjoy your company others will not enjoy yours. Just sit silent and let your mind race or let it quiet down. Whichever!

People who don’t talk much are classed as shy. And when they are labeled that, society classes them as weird. They then think they are weird or crazy. Is this really a productive way to live? Don’t you think silence is what we need sometimes? A break from the daily traffic of the world? Alone with ourselves, understanding our feelings, and really figuring stuff out about ourselves. Do you think anyone really knows what it is they truly stand for?

Research shows that practicing silence for just 10 minutes a day can result in increased cognitive functions, as well as lack of stress and other mental problems. It raises your self-esteem and improves your emotional intelligence too. It also makes you more decisive and keeps you in the moment. Silence has benefits related to creativity, improved concentration, and patience. A whole lot of benefits for just 10 minutes, wouldn’t you say?

Generally, when there is silence we fill it with background music or conversing. Not to say conversing is bad, but painting silence as weird is not good for anyone. People fear entering their mind alone and thus they end up filling important silences. Silence begs us to embrace ourselves, and only when we embrace ourselves can we change the world or do whatever we deem to be our goal. Make peace within and then come out swinging as one with yourself.

We must all learn to be more compassionate with ourselves and silence is one of the finest ways to do that. If we talk to our friends the way we do to ourselves we would not have any friends. A common example is when you commit a mistake or make a fool of yourself. Learn to forgive yourself for mistakes as that is just what we are- imperfect!

Silence eradicates distractions. This allows us to increase our productivity considerably. It helps us find solace and purpose in what we are doing. This makes it meaningful and allows us to be truly present in the moment. This very thing is called a state of flow. Most of us must have experienced it at some point in our lives. It happens when we are so immersed in what we are doing that we totally forget everything happening around us. Productivity peaks at this stage and you lose the sense of time. It is what athletes call being ‘in the zone,’ or musicians call being ‘in the pocket.’ Imagine being in that state all the time. That is possible unlike what the world has you believe.

I personally believe that no one can survive in another’s mind. That is how unique our minds are. They are tailor-made for our needs. Have you ever heard that humans can only use 7% of their minds and Einstein happened to use 11% or something like that? This makes us think that he was just made smarter than the rest but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is just a myth and has no logical standing whatsoever. It basically shows how we as a society make excuses and that must change.

So let’s all embrace silence and make it part of our daily routine. Embrace our minds on ourselves. You are the best person you can focus on and no harm can come out of it. Start spending time with yourself!

Listen closely, the silence is deafening!