Well-timed silence is the most commanding expression. –Mark Helprin
The cacophony of our existence is nearly impossible to avoid. Muzak streams through our supermarkets. Live concerts can be deafening and difficult to tolerate. We turn on the television to fill up the void of stillness. Talk radio romps through our waking hours. Even the car idling next to us blasts Latino music and rap tunes, as our cars bounce in rhythm to the noise. We no longer are accustomed to resting in silence, letting the natural sounds flow into our environment and soothe us. We are surrounded by an unceasing percussion of protests.
Why is silence both a curse and a blessing? It is a curse because we must have it in our lives in order to self-reflect and contemplate. But it is so difficult to find silence anywhere, and in some ways we have been reluctant to engage silence, anxious about what we might discover. It is inconvenient to make space for silence and honor it. On the other hand, it is a blessing because of the opportunities it provides us to be still, to reflect, and to restore our own wellbeing when we feel depleted and wounded. It also creates the space for connecting with others.
But an even greater violation of a peaceful experience is when we don’t know when to simply be silent in response to the sharing of another. We seem more and more uncomfortable taking in the silence that follows a plea for help or an expression of sadness. We feel compelled to comfort the other person in the awkwardness of their reaching out, grasping for a way to assuage the person’s pain or solve his or her problem. Sometimes, though, at least for a few moments, we can struggle with our own compulsion to do something to vanquish their distress, not realizing that our own discomfort is moving us to act.
Instead, we can welcome our reaction to the person as a reminder that, at least for that moment, we can simply be present. We can gaze into their eyes if we sense that kind of contact would be reassuring, or we can contemplate the empty, gentle space that emerges between us. We can open our hearts, breathe into their unease and let the silence surround us in a gentle embrace. We may be inspired finally to speak, but we also may decide just to be there with them.
In that moment, that may be all that is needed.
[[photo courtesy of unsplash.com]
Published in Group Writing
Thanks for reading Quote of the Day: Silence—A Curse and a Blessing - Ricochet.com. Please share...!
0 Comment for "Quote of the Day: Silence—A Curse and a Blessing - Ricochet.com"