Break down the wall of silence

The deepest rivers make least din, the silent soul doth most abound in care.

- William Alexander

Silence is the relative or total lack of audible sound. By analogy, the word silence may also refer to any absence of communication, even in media other than speech. Silence is also used as total communication, in reference to non verbal communication and spiritual connection. Silence in speech can be the result of hesitation, stutters, self-correction, or the deliberate slowing of speech for the purpose of clarification or processing of ideas.

According to cultural norms, silence can be interpreted as positive or negative. For example, in a Christian Methodist faith organization, silence and reflection during the sermons might be appreciated by the congregation; while in a Baptist church, silence might mean disagreement with what is being said, or perhaps disconnectedness from the congregated community.

Impact

It is sometimes difficult to interpret the message being sent by a person being silent (i.e. not speaking). It can mean anger, hostility, disinterest, or any number of other emotions. In Joy Kogawa’s novel, Obasan, silence is a symbol of victimization; a sign of the overbearing memories that burden us. Its characters have been silenced by repression.

Silence is also used in music and debate to create an impact. A common way to remember a tragic accident and to remember the victims or casualties of such an event is a commemorative moment of silence. This usually means one or more minutes of silence, in which one is supposed to not speak, but instead remember and reflect on the event.

Enjoyed

The right to silence is a legal protection enjoyed by people undergoing police interrogation or trial in certain countries. The law is either explicit or recognized in many legal systems. Violation of the right to quiet enjoyment is a common law tort.

“Silence” in spirituality is often used as a metaphor for inner stillness. A silent mind, freed from the onslaught of thoughts and thought patterns, is both a goal and an important step in spiritual development. Such “inner silence” is not about the absence of sound; instead, it is understood to bring one in contact with the divine, the ultimate reality or one’s own true self, one’s divine nature. Many religious traditions imply the importance of being quiet and still in mind and spirit for transformative and integral spiritual growth to occur. In Christianity, there is the silence of contemplative prayer such as centering prayer and Christian meditation; in Islam, there are the wisdom writings of the Sufis who insist on the importance of finding silence within.

In Buddhism, the descriptions of silence and allowing the mind to become silent are implied as a feature of spiritual enlightenment. In Hinduism, including the teachings of Advaita Vedanta and the many paths of yoga, teachers insist on the importance of silence, Mauna, for inner growth. Perkey Avot - the Jewish Sages guide for living - states that “Tradition is a safety fence to Torah, tithing a safety fence to wealth, vows a safety fence for abstinence; and, a safety fence for wisdom..... is silence.” In some traditions of Quakerism, silence is an actual part of worship services and a time to allow the divine to speak in the heart and mind. Eckhart Tolle says that silence can be seen either as the absence of noise, or as the space in which sound exists, just as inner stillness can be seen as the absence of thought, or the space in which thoughts are perceived.

Danger

Joseph Jordania suggested that in social animals, including humans, silence can be a sign of danger. According to his suggestion, humans find it distressing to be in full silence for a prolonged time, which is the sign of danger for them.

That’s why humans hum, whistle, talk to themselves, have TV and radio on, sometimes without watching or listening to them.

If one has been an observer of nature, one would have noticed that wild horses and cattle fall silent at the sign of danger. It is the same in the jungle. Invariably, the jungle falls silent when danger is present.

Everybody should have his personal sounds to listen for - sounds that will make him exhilarated and alive or quite and calm. For me, one of the greatest sounds of them all - and to me it is a sound - is utter, complete silence. However, I am saddened because, soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence.

Devices

Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life: contemplation and meditation. Instead, tooting, howling, screeching, booming, crashing, whistling, grinding, and trilling bolster his ego. His anxiety subsides. His inhuman void spreads monstrously like a gray vegetation.

As I write this, today is Vesak. It ought to be a day of silent meditation - a day on which we ought to reflect upon meththa, muditha karuna, and upeksha . Yet, I have chosen this day to write this because, as I write this from my abode in Kottawa, I am steeped in silence - not the silence of silence, but the silence of peaceful anger. Anger at the silence my brethren in Sri Lanka exhibit even when they are humiliated, debased, insulted and cheated by the persons who profess to build a bright future for them; the muteness with which our mothers and sisters in this county accept, the abuse of the people who are sworn to serve them; the dumbness we as a people display when all around us: breach of trust; trespass of rights; infringement of justice; and, violation of our right to live - honourably, peacefully, and justly - is blatant.

Silence ought to be the speech of love, not that of fear and fright. Silence cannot be a compromise or concession for the imperiling of, or the surrender of, purposes and principles of our life. Silence cannot be the answer to oppression and tyranny.

None of the religions of the world advocates silence under such circumstances. Action is deemed a part of silence.

If so, what is the action we can take under such situations? Break Down the Wall of Silence.

Well readers, see you this day next week. Until then, keep thinking, keep laughing. Life is mostly about these two activities.

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