Where does your silence live?

The sound of silence is not only a musical rendition by Simon and Garfunkel; it’s also balm for our weary soul after a hectic day. According to a recent New York Times article, it is also as rare as a sunny day in England.  Author Pico Iyer talks of Internet rescue camps in Asia, so-called black-hole or unplugged vacation resorts and the Joy of Quiet. Have we really gone from disconnected to overconnected in merely a generation? It appears so.

We have drowned ourselves in data, bathed ourselves in blog posts (mine included) and saturated our brains with the sounds of everything but silence. And when it creeps in in the predawn light, we barely hear it skitter under the bedskirts as we reach for our smartphones to fill the void.

So where does it live, that stillness within us? Certainly not in the forefront of our minds. It, like the Eastern US bat that hangs out in caves, is on the verge of extinction.

How can we save the endangered species that is our inner voice?

Leave your smartphone at home when you take a Sunday walk in the woods.

Turn off the tube and tune into yourself.

Spend time alone. All alone without sound.

Stare into a fire.

What other ways can you tap into your silence?

5 Comments

  1. onewomanwalking

    January 9, 2012 at 1:22 am

    Take a long bath.
    Leave the radio off when you drive alone.
    Go for walks early in the morning or late in the evening by yourself, provided it’s safe. There are less people and cars to distract you.
    Take a day off and call it a sabbatical. Do nothing but meditate, or as in my case, every Thursday night when hubby bowls, it’s my quiet time.
    Stop returning calls and texts immediately. It can wait.
    Garden. It allows you to focus.

    1. powerofslow

      powerofslow

      January 9, 2012 at 7:01 am

      Thank you so much for this list! Might I ask to publish this on my Facebook Power of Slow page with credit to you?

  2. Can’t Put Your Phone Down During Dinner? Try Picking Up The Check. | Momfy's Blog

    January 9, 2012 at 2:59 am

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