The Value of Silence
There is a feeling of angst amongst our society….can you feel it? The world feels unsettled, chaotic….things feel noisy. We are constantly on our phones, scrolling, and consuming the noise of thousands of thoughts, ideas, funny videos, scandals, controversies, world news etc. We scroll while the TV is on, boom and bangs of movies, bells from game shows, fighting and drama from reality shows….We go outside and we hear traffic, honking, construction, trucks beeping, dogs barking, people talking, music blaring from car sound systems etc. Then, we go inside and we have family, friends, or if you’re like me, a baby crying….not to mention the noise of our own thoughts moving at a mile a minute, what should I eat, what time does the bank close, I should start working on that thing, why is the rent going up again, new Tik Tok dance, I need to go to the gym and so on and so on. All of this noise can make you want to SCREAM (ironically making more noise)…especially spiritually. Your soul is crying out for SILENCE. If we apply basic economic principles of supply and demand, you can easily see that as the opportunity and availability of silence goes down, the value of silence goes up. I truly believe that silence…is the new GOLD.
We crave peace more than chaos…some of us have just been living in chaos so long we’ve made it our home…our safe space….but what we really want is stillness…some alone time…time for self reflection, time to think, time to NOT think (even better). We are becoming a very unrested society which is what I feel is leading to so much anxiety, depression, overall burnout and the “Great Resignation”. Our emotional and spiritual exhaustion is bursting through the seams and over flowing into our physical bodies. French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal believed humans should learn to be quiet more often, as expressed in his famous quote: "All the unhappiness of men arises from one simple fact: that they cannot sit quietly in their chamber." (ZAPIER 2017). Since we cannot “sit quietly in our chamber” we instead reach for alcohol, for drugs for sex, for social media likes/engagment but what we really need is a healthy dose of quiet time.
Due to the rarity of this precious resource called “Silence” I predict there will be more silent retreats, silent vacations, silent coffee shops, silence will become a commodity, an asset class, a luxury experience. Mark my words. So while its still free, I encourage you to take 10 minutes out of your day…TODAY…stop procrastinating…there is no perfect time…TODAY….I want you to BE QUIET for 10 minutes….no audiobooks, no podcasts, no scrolling, TV off, go on a balcony, sit in your car, sit on the toilet, go in a closet….wherever you can find the space…go there….set a timer for 10 minutes. Do nothing, Be quiet. Be transformed. Let me know your experience with this! - Love, ZYAH
Note: Check out this article from Zapier on the Power of Silence I recently found. It’s from 2017 but has some very interesting perspectives and scientific findings about the effects of excessive noise and the benefits of silence. Link: https://zapier.com/blog/silence-health-productivity/#
This article from the Whisper Room also talks about 5 key benefits to silence including increased creativity and inner calmness :) Link: https://whisperroom.com/tips/7-benefits-of-silence-why-we-need-less-noise/#:~:text=Silence%20creates%20an%20environment%20conducive,your%20brain%20all%20at%20once.
