Silence Is A Luxury, Do You Know Why?
Silence is a luxury. Who would have ever thought we’d say that? Silence is a luxury that very few people enjoy. We can only learn to enjoy silence if we learn to escape the routines that prevent us from having time for ourselves. These routines bind us and make us afraid of loneliness and total silence.
Our environment is so noisy that we have adapted, leading us to think that being alone and silence are negative. Silence can even make people anxious. To understand the implications of this type of fear, it is wise to ask ourselves certain questions.
Do we turn on the radio when we are alone because we can’t stand it when there is no noise around us? Do we seek busy, lively places because the loneliness and silence at home haunt us? It would never even occur to the people who do this to go to yoga or meditate. It would be way too stressful to sit still and not make a sound!
Silence is a luxury but our mind needs silence
The truth is that achieving this silence is not an easy task. In fact, bringing a little bit of silence into our routine can be quite a complicated challenge. Many of our desires, aspirations or interests exist in places where there is noise. Whether it’s an external or internal noise, it’s like a ceaseless stream of thoughts that never seems to end.
There have been numerous studies on this topic. Most of these studies compare the lives of people living in large cities with the lives of those living in rural areas. The differences are staggering. People who live or work in places with a lot of noise and people who go to sleep every night with the endless bustle of the city in their ears are more likely to have certain health problems. So silence has become a luxury.
Circulatory problems, stress and anxiety are some of these problems. If we look for the main causes of these problems, we will often see that they are due to the fact that we just don’t stop and relax for a while. After years of acting the same way, our autopilot has gotten used to jumping from one stimulus to another.
However, our minds need to be still every now and then. Because it is only thanks to the absence of noise that our neurons can grow effectively. Moreover, having a relaxed mind and body frees us from the worries that are usually an accumulation of problems and tensions caused by outside noises. When there is noise, we cannot hear ourselves think; and when this happens we simply cannot have a clear and distinct mind.
Silence is a luxury: noise and unrest remove us from ourselves
We’ve been told that “noise and restlessness take us away from ourselves.” Who among us makes time to get to know ourselves? Who among us spends a few minutes daily in meditation or prayer to calm and relax their mind? How many people try to deal with the thoughts we often try to ignore? Or do their best to control those harmful and insidious thoughts that are so intrusive and cause such discomfort? It’s a complicated situation. There are so many urgent tasks to deal with and time for ourselves can always be put off until later…
Moreover, being still involves much more than practicing meditation or simply clearing our minds. This is a completely misguided belief. The idea is to stop living on autopilot and just enjoy life in the moment. We don’t have to do anything special. Just enjoying a good meal, appreciating the flavors and enjoying the sound of the birds while taking a walk is enough.
Do we live or do we exist?
This is what life is all about. Being constantly surrounded by noise isn’t real life, it’s just existence. And what do we exist for? To just do what we have to do, without really enjoying it. We don’t take care of ourselves or spoil ourselves enough. Nor do we give ourselves the importance we deserve. We are usually guided by motives, reasons and causes that are not even our own and that come from outside.
Let’s not run away from the silence. Why not turn off the TV and grab a book? Why not exercise in the park without listening to music? In our daily lives we are exposed to constant noise. Why do we remain at the mercy of this noise when we finally have time for ourselves? Are we afraid to connect with ourselves and the world around us? What are we trying to escape from?
