Be still. Listen to your surroundings. Chances are you hear some type of noise, whether it be a busy highway, the white noise of a television and continuous chattering. Or maybe it’s the soft purr of the AC unit, the unrelenting beeping of a car alarm or the buzz of a fan going round and round and round. Whatever it is, there always seems to be continuous noise encompassing us. But what happens when we take away the white noise or continuous chatter?

Silence. The answer is something we all seem to crave but are terrified of encountering. And once we do encounter silence, it can be uncomfortable or unnerving. A silent elevator or taxi ride perfectly demonstrates this; we are all too quick to put headphones in, turn on our phones and turn off the world.

In a time of such technology, innovation, and chaos, we cannot seem to find the time to sit and be still. Our phones buzz almost as much as our busy minds. Our minds are never silent; we have lost the ability to silence even our own minds.

Amongst all the chaos, do we even remember what silence sounds like?

Silence is that split hesitation before a first kiss.

Silence is the sun kissing the earth each and every morning.

Silence is the early morning snow fall.

Silence is the sound of the untamed forest.

Silence is the moment before a baby takes its first breath.

Silence is the first glimpse of a loved one returning after much too long.

Silence is the conductor motioning a perfect cut off to his musicians.

Silence is in worship.

Silence is the pause between each and every breathe we draw.

Silence is the flickering of a warm, comforting candle.

Silence is the forest animals coming out of their sleep.

Silence is the sound of the galaxy.

Silence is beautiful yet morbid.

Silence is the calm after a storm.

We need to become comfortable with the lack of sounds. We need to embrace it as we would a loved one. Silence should not be something to fear, but something to welcome. Something to look forward to after a long day of work, school, or whatever it may be. So I urge you, after reading this article, put down your device, turn off all distractions, and just listen.

“I've begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own.”
― Chaim Potok