THE ART OF SILENCE

Dear loving friends,

This piece of writing may impart an emotional shade, but I just can’t wait to tell you how beautiful the process of realization was! Last day, I came across an article by Sundar Sarukkai in The Hindu entitled “Can we have some silence please?” The title took over me to the lead and then finally ended up the last line. He felt that noise has become the new garbage in our life. Noise verbally, visually and mentally of course! He doubts that we gradually have lost the art of silence. Today, to be silent portrays a state of depression, to be silent at workplace portrays a state of pressure, to be silent in public portrays a state of anti-social or to be silent at a party portrays a state of an introvert! Silence has definitely a negative connotation now.

Really? I thought a lot! Even I have gone through such unpleasant loud environment for hours and hours. But then, it was not a problem rolling out through my mind. But now it is. Let’s put a DOT here.

Last month, I guess, I came across another interesting article in RD. It was a sweet discovery of Dr. Arthur Aron. He proved that people may fall in love when asked a series of questions to each other while staring into each other’s eyes for up to four minutes. Just four minutes! That was fun to read….A few days later one of my friends, Simi, showed me a lovely video very similar to that article. An experimental video by Prudential Singapore, where they experimented with loved ones like, parent- son, siblings, father- daughter, friends, husband -wife…staring at each other’s eyes for four EMOTIONAL minutes. I remember one of them saying that four minutes is something very long….This four minutes have reconnected their relationships, realizing the beauty of it. By half way, me and simi started sobbing seeing the video and desperately needed a tissue to wipe…... Many of you might have seen it. If no, please go by it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsojBgHqeg4

You might think how can this be connected to my above writing? Yes, there is a sweet thread of connection. What I realized from this video was the art of silence in every relationship. What I mean by art of silence is not actually being silent. Silence which I talk about is a loud voice within! A loud voice, which tells us how badly we have been missing our dear ones so far. How badly we have been burying our art of silence in the garbage called Noise! Being silent to a friend doesn’t mean that they are under a cold war, being silent with a lover doesn’t mean that they are covered with misconceptions. Being silent with parents doesn’t mean that they are unnoticed and uncared. Being silent with nature doesn’t mean that they don’t love it.

Then what is it? About which silence are people talking about? It’s not then silence when muted! I am talking about the Silence which is audible even to a person with hearing impairment. The art of silence! The art of silence reflects beautiful when you witness the serene beauty of mountains far away. The art of silence reflects lovely when tears roll from your mother’s eyes when you leave the home on your marriage. The art of silence reflects sublime when you hug your partner in a cold weather. The art of silence happens when you listen to it!

So back to my first piece: “Can we have some silence please?”

Did the author mean the same?

Here is I relate this to the article of Mr. Sundar. Noise is definitely a barrier to listen to our silence! I co-relate these two parts together and my answer is:

“YES, of course, let’s all have some silence, not only the silence, but the Art of Silence!”

Susuwrites…..