Silence part 2 - an under utilised resource

I am so tired.

Why do I keep doing this to myself?

My bones are heavy, there is grit in my eyes. The volume of my tinnitus has been turned up to loud and my ears “hear” a steady high pitched whine. The foam of my chair is pushing up into my seated legs. The muscles in my face seem to be sliding down. Talking is too much effort. My eyelids weigh a ton.

What also contributes to this exhaustion is the water aerobics. The value of water aerobics is completely dependent upon how much effort you are prepared to put into it. If you are lazy and don’t push yourself then you are wasting your time. So I always push myself as hard as I can.

Then the damn puzzle. I have been dragging my feet on this for a while now. I have only done about a thousand pieces and it is time to speed the process up. So I was on the puzzle till midnight.

I used to be able to do the late night thing, so maybe just maybe it relates to my age. I am not as young as I once was.
This is really really stupid. I am going to suffer the whole day. Aaaagh, the pleasure of closing my eyes, even for a bit. Every time I hear footsteps outside my office, my eyes snap open, painfully. I had a drink of cold water from my office fridge; it seems to help (a bit), let me drink more… that’s better.

Let me get onto my main idea from the above suffering

SILENCE

What an underutilised resource, what a treasure.

Lately I have been to several doctor’s waiting rooms; they are shrouded in silence. The staff whisper to each other or speak in muted undertones. Is silence therapeutic for suffering patients?

I find when I am tired I value silence more.

When I was a kid growing up, libraries were places where I spent much time. Heaven help the noisy offender!

Chess demands silence; I remember the ticking of the clocks in the halls where chess tournaments used to be played. Spectators silently moving from table to table to see the silent mental violence on each chess board, where each set of combatants stare forcefully at the pieces obediently waiting for the next move. It is highly recommended not to make eye contact with the players

When I had to write exams, all that one hears is the odd scrape of a chair. Once there was a fellow who sniffed throughout the series of exams we wrote on the one day, it nearly drove me nuts and certainly affected my concentration.

So when we have to concentrate deeply, silence is a good friend.

Golf is another game where dead silence and complete stillness must be observed as the player prepares and then make their swing. After shot completed, a few comments of either congratulations or commiserations are muttered. Also never stand directly behind your fellow golfer as you can catch his eye and break his concentration. I really miss golf!

There are many sports where silence is even demanded, how many times have we seen it in tennis? As the player is about to serve, some spectator yells support, and the tennis player stops their action while the umpire commands “silence, please!”.

The same thing in rugby, as a player is about to kick the rugby ball at the posts to score; it is extremely rude to disturb the player’s concentration. Sadly today, the crowd seldom plays fair and makes a noise to break the player’s focus.

My cats at home like silence, when my noisy family come to visit, the cats silently disappear to reduce the noise. When the family leave after visiting us for a week or so, we all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Make no mistake we love visitors and like to entertain.

Strangely enough, when some of my girls are practicing on the piano, they do not like the television on or people sitting nearby having a conversation. They really get annoyed with me when I come into their vicinity and practice my own version of ballet, they just don’t appreciate my artistic impressions and chase me out quite rudely.

(this guy has the same moves as me!)

Is silence linked to energy? Is noise linked to young people? When I was young, loud rock and roll was the order of the day. I go back far enough to remember the enthusiasm we had to listen to loud music while travelling in a car. The music put a lot of energy into us and we had to move with the music, however spastic it may have looked to others. When my kids travel in a car, it irritates me that there must be music. I seldom listen to rock and roll anymore as I don’t have the energy. Is this a valid idea?

Can one find real silence in an urban setting? Not really, always hear the sound of vehicles in particular. Often when in the yard, I hear the dogs bark, or pedestrians walk by talking loudly to each other but that just makes the value of silence greater as far as I am concerned.

Silence is vital in terms of meditation. Inner contemplation only can be effectively performed when one is quiet. For the religious, many leaders needed silence. Jesus Christ often sought seclusion from his followers and often at night when it was quietest. Who else comes to mind? Let me know with some examples.

A babbled prayer followed by immediately leaving the room is only half the process. The important part is to remain there in quiet contemplation for a period afterwards. To “feel” impressions afterwards is vital. Elijah’s experience is also profitable to contemplate. Often in religious terms being quiet is called “being reverent”. Look in 1 Kings, chapter 18, verses 9 to 13.
9 ¶ And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

So we can learn from this that Elijah, who was an experienced prophet, could recognise the “still small voice”. It is only the inexperienced in spiritual matters who believe that huge, visible and auditory demonstrations are evidence of one’s communications from God. Silence is the best means to “hear” such divine communications.

I love the Muslim expression of a blessing where it ends with “Peace be upon him…”, often used in their prayers.

Our world is suffering under a deluge of noise, to be in nature and observant of quiet or silence is important for the rejuvenation of the soul.

As I get older, I would like to think that I can listen better.
I wonder if family and friends would agree with that?