While I was meditating one evening, staring into infinity, away from the tensions and chores of life, enjoying the solitude, a word struck me like lightning – SILENCE. It was as though the universe instructed me to stay in a state of silence. No words, no actions, no sound, no activity. Complete SILENCE. I remained there for an hour. It was bliss!

When there are no sounds discernible to the external ear, our inner voice speaks to us. And, it is this inner voice that creates an opportunity for us to pause and reflect on situations/ issues. Have you ever wondered, when you are on a long walk by yourself, or in a quiet place, that clarity has a way of flooding in? Solutions to the most difficult challenges emerge in this silence. “Listen to yourself, and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God” – Maya Angelou

Silence augments our inner strength, sharpens intellect, keeps one in a happy frame of mind and invokes happiness. One of the reasons why many people nowadays seem to live in a state of dissatisfaction is because they’ve lost touch with the natural happiness inside them. Perhaps silence is a neglected tool because it is so rare. After all, we live in a hyper-connected, loud, information overloaded world. Everyone is short of time, running from one chore to another. Ultimately, how much time we have is not in our control; but how we fill our time is surely within our control. A few minutes of Silence every day, is all we need to un-clutter our minds from the noise of the world. Here we will find a lot of solutions. “Silence is sometimes the best answer” – Dalai Lama

However, silence is not about just keeping the mouth shut. It is an attitude – a state of mind. The universe is waiting to give us answers, but will we listen? We are so busy blabbering unwanted stuff, that we don’t give a chance to the higher powers to connect with us. “In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness.” – Mahatma Gandhi

We often talk a lot of unnecessary stuff, which ultimately results in tensions / negative situations in our life. We don’t give Silence a chance to operate. Once regretful words have been put out there, it is often too late. It is best to control them earlier on. Fewer words are sometimes all we need to share wisdom. Pythagoras rightly said “Be silent or let the words be worth more than silence”.

In a professional setting, while attending meetings, it is best to first listen silently and carefully, to understand the context of the discussion. One should not interrupt while the other person is speaking. The more one speaks, the more he/she runs the risk of disclosing too much information, giving clues on their strategy and make blunders, much to the advantage of the other person. “It’s better to look stupid than to open your mouth and leave no doubt about it” – Pierre Desproges

Communication is not just about using words. Real communication is beyond words. What a single glance can convey, a thousand words cannot. Mark Twain aptly mentioned “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause”.

The most influential leaders in the world are great communicators, but they also know when and where to remain Silent. This increases their stature. If you’ve mastered the art of Silence (using it at the right time and place), you have one of the main ingredients to achieve fame and success. “Power is in many ways is a game of appearances, and when you say less than necessary, you inevitably appear greater and more powerful than you are” – Robert Green

The bible mentions in Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God”. The issue with our generation is that we don’t invest time in our souls. We get so busy with the rigmarole of life that we forget the little things which matter. We pay much more importance to our body/ mind, and the soul gets neglected. We boast as though we know it all. It would be wise to read the psalm once again. It says – Be still and know that I am God. It does not say, be still and know that you are God! The Almighty is willing to give us answers/ solutions to all our circumstances. He is keen to grant us our petitions, prayers though his grace and mercy. But do we ever remain Silent so that we my hear him?

There would be no better way of concluding this article than by quoting Frank Ocean’s famous words – “Work hard in Silence, let success be your noise.” So have you heard the Sound of Silence? Try it, there’s nothing more melodious I guarantee!!!