POWER OF SILENCE

Being silent does not mean keeping quiet, it is going within and finding your true self. The discovery is enchanting as it fills your being with abundant love and joy.

We were filling our life with so much noise, working tirelessly round the clock like machines. There was no time to stop and ponder and being silent was equated to boredom or wasting of time. In the lockdown times we are in a new normal situation. When we are literally locked inside our homes and are forced to look inwards. This is the right time to learn to be in silence by thinking inwards and rediscovering ourselves. Self-discipline and practice is mandatory to be comfortable in silence. Some people have innate calm but for some it takes a little more effort. Our worries and fears are hindrance to our achieving silence. It can be achieved by yoga, exercise, meditation, breathing exercises or by just being in the company of nature.

The noises in the modern world or the situations are no excuse of not being in silence. It is all up to us as poet Khalil Gibran says, "I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers." One can find it by sitting in a noisy train or sitting in a crowd.

 We as humans can realize our own selves through silence. Our mind is like a muddy pond, one has to gaze long enough to seek clarity. There is abundant joy and strength in our inner recesses which we can discover by being in silence. Silence also helps solve many queries which were haunting us for a long time. It makes us see life in a clear light. Sit silently for a while to think about your life goals and realize your true potential. Silence helps one differentiate right from wrong, to know the truth and take appropriate decisions.

Being in silence, we understand relationships, resolve issues and become tolerant. Silence clears the mind, thoughts become lucid and mature which eventually gives one peace of mind. It is like recharging our battery. It helps in concentrating on some work and doing it well in silence. In silence one can take delight in the beauty of nature. Silence is in nature--- air water, waves, ocean etc. Mother Teresa fittingly said, “See how nature - trees, flowers, grass – grow in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence….we need silence to be able to touch souls.”

Silence eventually leads to reduction of conflicts, tolerance, contentment, and a spiritual understanding. One's true potential is realized, there is inner satisfaction. Silence helps in tranquility of mind of individuals and making them coherent beings and leading to harmony in the communities, nations and indeed humanity. There are no regrets of silence as can be of speech.  “Ek chup sau sukh” rightly goes the Punjabi proverb which my (dadi) grandmother practised.

 Silence is a true friend which never betrays.