The Power of Silence

Silence has many facets. It can hang heavily in the air after an argument. It might leave you out and hurt when somebody stonewalls you. Silence can be present when you do not know what to say but also when you know what to say but do not want to. Sometimes silence simply is because there is not much to say.

Silence occurs in conversation between people who understand each other without words. Silence enters the place after making love.  Silence accompanies you when you walk alone in nature. Silence envelopes you on a busy street when your thoughts stop racing and you see only the movements of limbs like in a time-lapse video.

Silence strikes you in an act of admiration of beauty in general. Your eyes observe the admired object and you cannot utter a sound. Silence can fill the space and time but also empty your head, heart and soul. It can bring you joy and sorrow. It can make you indifferent. It can force you to act. It can discourage you to get closer. It can be punishing but also rewarding. It might say nothing or everything. It can lead to interpretations and also misinterpretations.

Silence

Silence can heal. Silence is peace but also war. It makes you listen more. It might force you to shout. It may silence you as well. You can dwell in it or run from it. You can search silence desperately and then hate it immensely. You might want to establish it and then to break it. Sometimes we desire to silence others, sometimes ourselves.

Often silence has a meaning, though different for each of us. We attribute to it emotions, actions or non-actions, intentions, gravity, colour, sound, feelings, perceptions. We label silence as we label everything else. Silence created by a person has often a protective function which does not exclude that it might hurt another person.

We´d better think about silence and “use” it wisely so we can love its sound as we love the song by Simon & Garfunkel. For silence has a power maybe even stronger than words.