Silence is Golden

This is, for me, one of the truest of all the proverbs I know and one that I advocate quite strongly for, given its importance as I see it in our modern world.

As someone who also finds it difficult to “hold her tongue” so to speak, and as someone who has an opinion on nearly everything, it does strike me as quite ironic though, that these three little words hold such a dear place in my heart.

As with many proverbs, the origin of this phrase is obscured by the passing of time, though there are reports of it dating back to as far as Ancient Egypt. The first example of it in English is said to be from the poet Thomas Carlyle, who translated the phrase from German in Sartor Resartus , 1831, in which a character expounds at length on the virtues of silence.

There is also reference to this proverb being used in relation to women in the 16^th Century with Silence being described as a “ woman’s finest garment”. As you can imagine, this third reference would not be one that I would be promoting in any way shape or form – but there it is regardless to taunt me in the writing of this article. I can only be grateful that I was not around in the 16^th Century to marvel at this type of thinking, as I do not think it would have ended well at all, to say the least.

But now, to the proverb itself and the importance or value I feel we can garner from it in the 21^st Century.

First and foremost, I feel that perhaps these wonderful three words can guide us to look inward for counsel, and encourage us to seek wisdom in the depths of our own silence. With the constant “buzzing” of our modern world coming at us from all angles and in all guises  – constantly and consistently – perhaps these three tiny words hold the key to our salvation in a world of madness and noise and confusion. Perhaps these three little words can pack a powerful punch if we take them at face value and literally and truly appreciate a little Silent Time each day.

Perhaps it is through this silence that we can hear our most treasured secrets and innate wisdom. And perhaps we have to take the time to stop and really listen. Perhaps we need to pause, and make room for the silence to expand and engulf us, to really soak up it’s true benefits. Perhaps we need to let the Silence speak to us. We need to give it time to breathe and be. We need to give it time to elaborate upon its nothingness, in order for it to show us the complete intricacies of it’s ‘everything-ness’?

This Silence is not something to be rushed, for it is in its expansion and timelessness that its true virtue can be found.

Perhaps in this space and time we need to recognize that this Silence is truly Golden.

A Golden Promise leading to our true selves.

A Golden Light shining in the darkness of our man made delusions and confusions.

A Golden Treasure waiting to be found and cultivated.

I encourage all of you to seek out this Silence and enjoy its full possibilities and promise.

In fact – take a moment right now to just sit in this Silence.

This beautiful, resounding, all encompassing Silence.

Let it eat you up and consume you. Let it take you away to another world – your Inner World. A world of peace and quiet and possibility and presence.

When you are ready – open your eyes –  regroup – reconnect -  and continue onward.

Now consider making that a regular and special part of your day.

The other aspect of this proverb that really speaks to me, is in relation to our interactions with other people.

So often, when in a conversation, we are listening to the other person speaking, but not hearing them at all. We are too busy thinking about our response. Too busy formulating our answer. Too busy figuring a way to sway the other person to our way of thinking. Too busy coming up with a witty comment to display our fabulous intellect or a way to Segway to a topic of our expertise.

But again we forget.

Silence is Golden.

If we can just silence our minds from our inward chitter chatter and silence ourselves from having to speak – perhaps we may find out something fascinating and intriguing about the other person that we did not know.

Perhaps, in giving them the time and space to speak and hold the floor, we may truly hear them and our interactions may be all the richer for the genuine attention and presence we have given to the other person in the conversation.

As I say these things however – do not think for a minute that I am an expert in reigning in of my own chatter. I am notorious for “not listening” to people and drifting off to some other place when others are speaking.  Unfortunately for me, my face is quite expressive and it is not too difficult for people to tell that I have no idea what they have just said when this occurs.

As with most of us – this distraction seems to reveal itself mainly when I am conversing with family.

Why I do not know?

With friends, acquaintances and clients I am known for being the exact opposite. 100% fully engaged and committed to the conversation. But put me with family and I can suddenly drift off into another time and place, looking blankly at a pillow or a wall.

So the point here is that we all, most likely, have some times, places and people with whom we can exercise this proverb and activate our own silence to the betterment of the situation at hand.

For our betterment and introspection when engaging with ourselves and our Inner World.

For the betterment of those around us to allow them to be fully heard when they are trying to communicate and share themselves with us.

In the end, I think perhaps that much can be learned about ourselves and about all those around us from taking on the role of Observer.

Silent Observer.

Silent Listener.

Silent Seeker of this Golden Treasure.

So once again – I invite you to take this concept and run with it in your own life.

See if it works for you.

Be aware of You and how You are in the world and in Your space.

Wishing you lots of nothing-ness and everything-ness.

Discover. Love. Be.

- Christine -