a peek inside

Silence

            Christina Rossetti once said, “Silence is more musical than any song.”  Silence can be defined as a state of calm, of stillness, or of no sound.  Silence can often be misconstrued as a bad quality to have or an awkward feeling of being uncomfortable.  Silence for me has never been either of these for me.  I have learned to enjoy the silence.  I have become one with the stillness that resides within me; the state of mind of silence.

            Silence within oneself is often difficult to come to terms with.  Calmness can often be a terrifying thing to face.  Becoming fully aware of this part of yourself can take a long time.  One way to face it head on and to become strengthened in its power is to take a moment or two for yourself each day, and enjoy the quiet.  Listen to the inner voice of your heart and know that what it has to say is the of the utmost important truth.

            Finding the stillness in the quiet can make many people feel very troubled and confused.  Taking the time to notice that the world is moving past you at ever increasing speeds is a tasking thing to accomplish.  With growing lists of to-dos, places to go, people to call, appointments to remember, it is very easy to forget to take the time to stop, catch your breath, and remember that we are not moving through the world but that the world is moving through us.  There should be a timelessness of living in the moment.  This is the way to finding the balance of stillness in your life.

            Most people think of silence as the absence of sound.  Silence is so much more than no noise surrounding.  Silence is freedom.  When there is no sound, there is no encumbrance.  Above all, silence remains with me in the visual of lying on a hill, in complete darkness, staring up the stars and taking in the beauty of world.  When there is no noise, there is no worry, no captivity, and no discord.  Silence is an intimate moment, whether you are with another or by yourself. 

            Finding my silence has not been an easy task, as I’m sure is the case for most people.  But even more so than finding it, accepting it is a whole other daunting feat.  Many of us have heard the proverb, “silence is golden,” but many of us have also never thought of it much more after having heard it.  Not only is silence itself golden, but so is the path to finding it.

A definition essay on silence by Amber Johnson