SILENCE

The importance of silence has always been underestimated despite the popular idiom, speech is silver, silence is gold. I do not know with what context and purpose that idiom came into existence, but I see multiple angles to this.

My long-term belief is brain activity consumes a lot of energy. Being silent in mind can save all of that. Further, just as every organ needs rest and activity, for the ever active brain also, some silence either through meditation or casually when I have nothing to do, will help.  

Today I randomly came across two other people talking about silence (ever wonder if Google is listening to our thoughts too?). One was a Stanford university 25 year old girl talking about this in a video. The other is from a very well-known philosopher, late Mr. Jiddu Krishnamurthi (JK) talking of this on a completely different plane.

The Easy One

The girl from Stanford says, real creativity comes from silence. We are so preoccupied with our goals, and a busy life that we don’t give brain a chance to be silent. She gave one example of Newton. He was just sitting under a tree, and observing an apple fall from tree to ground. This lead him to formulate the theory of gravity. She refers to many famous people taking solo walks as often as possible, and in some cases even go to silent retreats just as Steve Jobs did. Apparently they all claim these gave them new ideas. 

The girl says when we are silent, our brain will have the opportunity to synchronize the several thoughts stored in brain, to come out with something new and creative.  The various patterns stored in the brain as knowledge or memories will form new bonds, to create ideas. 

The girl does not consider meditation as a useful tool. The girl is however not right on this one. Meditation is of several types. They are radically different and distant in their ways, by approach, method, and goal. The meditation that forces focusing on anything including silence could be detrimental which are the ones perhaps she is familiar of. If someone is trying to focus on something including silence, then that type of meditation doesn’t help. But if someone follows a method which allows the mind to go free, only observing and bringing back to a calmer state of mind, then I think that works. 

She also points out that listening to music or reading a book does not help, as in these activites we are not allowing the brain to go free. We focus. The idea is to de-focus.

The Difficult One

In the case of JK, the philosophy is to let go. All the thoughts are to be freed in a stable state of mind. He says silence is not lack of noise, just as love is not absence of hatred. Silence is something quite different. Thought has direction. What has direction is measurable. Therefore thought is measurable. Space is that which does not have direction. It is empty. It is immeasurable. A measurable cannot undertand what is immeasurable. Since thought is measurable it cannot lead us to silence which is space. 

He is not referring to silence as that which is just devoid of sound and thought, but something beyond, and cosmic. Silence cannot be explained in words as they convey thought, which is measurable, and thus limited. He says this silence when experienced, is cosmic and is the real religion not the ones that humans have created. Such a silence can make us see the real creation, and life. 

Parts of this explanation by JK is difficult, and complex to comprehend for many. They are bound to be vague for many. He had already said he cannot explain in words and why. At some point, he also refers to such silence being able to go in parallel, to life and that it is beautiful. 

JK also refers to tremendous loss of energy through thinking. If I can keep my mind silent at least when there is no demand for it otherwise, I can save all that. With the right kind of meditation I may eventually reach that state mind, which leads to the silence he refers to. 

The Conclusion

Obviously I cannot comprehend all that he says, nor can I notice or recollect from my memories a new idea being borne when my mind was silent, the way the young lady from Stanford put it. 

She says for busy people it is all the more essential to allocate higher proportion of time for silence; for this is how new creative thoughts can come, and become more productive 

All-in-all, the concept does compel me to get closer to silence by both the meanings of lack of sound, and the more complex meaning of thoughtlessness or a free flowing mind in coming days. Wish me good luck!