Spring Break
Taking a hiatus from speech to enjoy the silence
Shea Pedersen
Issue date: 1/14/09 Section: Forum
Silence is a precarious thing to deal with. Most people seem to fear it, talking about unnecessary and unimportant subjects just for the sake of making noise in the atmosphere. However, there is value in not always filling in empty space.
My friend Kristina Marie Rakestraw only talks when there is something meaningful to be mentioned, and although she lapses into contemplation often, she rarely knows a dull moment. She doesn't get her thrills from gossiping about other people or buying things; rather, Kristina philosophizes, writes and does abstract/still life paintings with oils.
Last year, Kristina Marie even completed a 12-hour day of muteness. She learned how to live without any small talk because everything that needs to be said can be communicated without words. Kristina ended up sitting near the shore for hours, looking at the waves and thinking about nothing in particular.
The time she spent quiet was definitely not wasted, as some would expect it to have been. A common belief is that making the most of a moment consists of loud commentary and earning the heed of others by constantly expelling opinion. This tenet poses no apparent problems because people enjoy talking!
However, being free from the onslaught of thoughts and thought patterns is a salient part of spiritual development. In many religions, when people find inner silence, they become in contact with the divine, the ultimate reality, and their own true self. Kristina doesn't allege enlightenment, but she seems to be the closest to truth out of anyone I know.
But as illuminating and necessary as it is to be aware of the merits of quiet serenity, it nevertheless used to be somewhat frustrating for her friends, myself included, when Kristina would stop talking in the middle of an argument or overly passionate conversation.
"When people are in that state of mind, they don't listen to what the other person is saying anyway," she says. "So no progress can be made. Adding even more noise on top of other peoples' is pointless."
My friend Kristina Marie Rakestraw only talks when there is something meaningful to be mentioned, and although she lapses into contemplation often, she rarely knows a dull moment. She doesn't get her thrills from gossiping about other people or buying things; rather, Kristina philosophizes, writes and does abstract/still life paintings with oils.
Last year, Kristina Marie even completed a 12-hour day of muteness. She learned how to live without any small talk because everything that needs to be said can be communicated without words. Kristina ended up sitting near the shore for hours, looking at the waves and thinking about nothing in particular.
The time she spent quiet was definitely not wasted, as some would expect it to have been. A common belief is that making the most of a moment consists of loud commentary and earning the heed of others by constantly expelling opinion. This tenet poses no apparent problems because people enjoy talking!
However, being free from the onslaught of thoughts and thought patterns is a salient part of spiritual development. In many religions, when people find inner silence, they become in contact with the divine, the ultimate reality, and their own true self. Kristina doesn't allege enlightenment, but she seems to be the closest to truth out of anyone I know.
But as illuminating and necessary as it is to be aware of the merits of quiet serenity, it nevertheless used to be somewhat frustrating for her friends, myself included, when Kristina would stop talking in the middle of an argument or overly passionate conversation.
"When people are in that state of mind, they don't listen to what the other person is saying anyway," she says. "So no progress can be made. Adding even more noise on top of other peoples' is pointless."
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