We live in a world so loud — our inner voices, desires, and unorthodox thoughts at times suffocate us to death. The human mind is one of the most complex organs, yet it is not one when it comes to the ease of getting what we actually want. Still, the question is, do we ever give ourselves the liberty to sit and transpire in our own world, a silent world where it’s just us and our thoughts, nobody to interrupt or dictate, nobody to tell us what we are, and nobody to decide our lives for us? Do we ever strive for what we actually want? The world may seem dark, but the soul and mind are the light only if you light them up in a quiet atmosphere, quiet enough to spread and enlighten your world, so there’s nobody around to blow it out and kill your wishes with envy or radical opinions!
We live in a society where we are surrounded by people at all times; we eat, we sleep, we think, and we live according to the standards set by society or our culture. We give up a lot in life merely for the validation of the people around us; we rarely sit to explore our own selves, to feel and bloom, and to turn the autumns of our mind and soul into springy balms. We spend all our time putting effort into something that either isn’t meant for us or is just for the sake of the harbouring authority!
We live in a world where peace of mind is erased by social norms; where we talk about food, air, and water being the necessities of life, we bury the very necessity for a healthy life, peace, and clarity of mind — moments of placidity to revive our inner selves, to feed our minds with serenity and comfort, and to end the war of being or not being ourselves in a zone of no judgement, no domination by anyone, just our own free will for the life we live once!
The psychologists state that silence is one way to heal the human body; the quietness of mind provides an opportunity to ponder and mend cracked parts. The human mind needs time to reset and revamp, and that can only happen if we give ourselves a moment of relief in this rushed life!
Human beings are not great at replacing things they cling to, but they do distract themselves from them. The gadgets and social media play a vital role in that. Whenever we are sad or depressed, we prefer trading our feelings for something that soothes the mind and heart instantly. We reach out to our plus ones for comfort; we listen to music to indulge our minds into thinking it’s all good now. We never do what is required: a moment of quiet, where the clock stops ticking for us, where we feel and let go, and where we stop thinking about the next moment or how the world would be if we listened to ourselves once!
The neurology of silence glorifies the fact that the billions of neurones and the nerves that carve our bodies gear up in moments of silence. When the world shuts down and the noise is dampened, the brain doesn’t turn off; rather, it becomes the working engine for the time. The human body has its own ways, and the effects of silence on it are fascinating.
Several studies indicate that when the clatter and babbling around become static, there is an activation of the DMN (default mode network in the brain) that calms your mind and starts a self-referential processing where you reflect on your past, daydream of what you desire, compile your future insights, and activate focus restoration. In 2013, a biologist, Imke Kirste, at Duke University (as stated in the Brain and Body Function Journal), led research based on the effects of “silence” on 4 groups of mice; the 4 groups were subjected to different stimuli of sounds for 2 hours a day that included Mozart, mouse pup calls, white noise, and silence.
Initially, it was believed that the Mozart and Pup calls caused a spike in cell production as “waking up” brain stimuli, but this changed on the 7th day of research when it was observed that the sounds led to the eventual dying off of cells. In contrast, the silence group not only had its precursor cells intact but also developed into functioning neurones. We are no mice, but the study signifies the importance of silence in our lives and the role of the hippocampus as dignified. The hippocampus in the human brain is a site that acts as a nursery for baby neurones and is very sensitive when it comes to the stress hormone cortisol. This study revealed that silence revives the neurogenic role of the hippocampus, providing the body with a healthy, growing environment that lowers depression and anxiety, helps the body understand and map its surroundings, and enables transparent thinking for processing information.
Silence may preside in many of its forms, be it cancelling noise, a break from people and their diverting and dictating opinions, a state of meditation to revitalise, or an isolation to rekindle. We find the pages of journals and books flooded with the pros of silence, its effects, and its importance in our daily lives. History holds it deeply graven in words: the impact and boisterous upshot of silence for humans!
Several philosophers took silence as not merely the absence of noise but also a vanguard move of self-discovery and rebirth of clarity and ideas.
Søren Kierkegaard, the philosopher of silence in the 1800s, remarked that “the world cannot be heard until the noise of the world is silenced.”
Blaise Pascal indicated that silence is one of the essentials of life, stating that “all of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly alone in a room.”
In Taoism, where silence is linked to the concept of Wu Wei (effortless action), it is indicated that “Silence is a great source of strength.”
Fyodor Dostoevsky took silence, psychologically and paradoxically, as important, highlighting that it’s food for the soul and spirit. In his novel The Brothers Karamazov, the silence of Christ is heavier than any argument presented by the Inquisitor.
We’d find trillions of sources indicating how silence mends our lives, but the only way to implement it is to give one’s own self a try, a chance to step into the creative and clear world built by our ideas to communicate coherently. Silence is not only a state — it is a cradle for a renewed, ingenious intellect! Therefore, we must take a moment to breathe and settle in our own quiet world, away from the miseries of the swarming life and away from the noise of this world!