Want to know 6 general interpretations of Silence?
“Silence is the language of God. All else is poor translation” – Rumi
Silence. Silence! Silence?
Just a change in punctuation mark can alter the intention of one word. Can you comprehend the number of interpretations it could have? Silence is just a humble word by itself but the way it is used, changes the meaning and reference of it entirely. Like many other words in our vocabulary, silence can be used in many ways to depict many different things and yet I personally believe that it is the one of those very few commonly used words that could hold such deep meaning and impact on our lives.
We use the word so often, so nonchalantly, to convey what we intend to without giving it a deeper thought that how deep it’s impact and repercussions could be.
I am not a master to unfold the mysteries of life, nor a scholar to define it to its perfection. However, with experience and whatever wisdom I have managed to gather through the years, it is one of the most profound and mystic word. The most impactful interpretations of Silence can be surmised as:
1. Silence as a virtue
Not everything deserves a reaction but then, no reaction is a reaction too. When we consciously choose not to react, we maintain silence. We believe that it is the right thing to do, to avoid blowing things out of proportion. Our silence takes away the power the other person or situation has over us.
2. Your mental peace
There comes a time when we go silent to preserve our mental peace. Be it a discussion that turned into an argument or just a short sabbatical from the chaos all around us. Silence has the power to realign our thoughts and bring back our focus. Needless to say, it has it’s repercussions too for an overthinker. If they go silent, their mind wanders all over the place and things tend to spiral out of control in their heads. But as a general case scenario, silence plays an integral role in getting and keeping mental peace.
3. Deeper understanding
When we are in the midst of things, over time we tend to have a shortsighted view of things. Maintaining silence and taking a step back allows us to see things in a different perspective and take a more refined and informed decisions and choice regarding that situation. It helps us understand the issue with more clarity and understanding.
That being said, not everything is hunky-dory with silence. The above mentioned points help us control and understand ourselves and the situations around us better with the help of silence. However, let’s look at the cons of silence.
4. Sign of submission
Quite self-explanatory, silence during any form abuse or any situation which has a direct impact on your physical and/or mental health, is subconsciously a sign of submission. All those negative things happen to us because we let them happen to us. People tend to justify ‘I didn’t have a choice‘, ‘What else could I do?‘ or ‘I did it for the sake of my loved ones‘, so on and so forth. Agreed these are valid reasons in their own right, but still the point is that you chose to not act. You remained silent. Your silence was your submission. Where did it get you?
5. State of apathy/denial
We come across situations where we decide to not act or say anything, not because it’s right or wrong, but just ’cause. We don’t want to. ‘I couldn’t care less‘ or ‘No, it isn’t what it seems‘ is generally heard by someone who wants to maintain that silence irrespective knowing the details of the situation and the repercussions of their silence. As its said – Ignorance is bliss.
6. Lack of communication
Want an absolutely perfect example of lack of communication?
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
We all know, have heard, read, that a lot of issues and differences can be resolved by talking it out, communicating. But do we? Why is it easier said than done when talking is the simplest form of resolution?
These were just the Top 6 which would bring about quite an evident change in your life, however there is much more to it than just these 6 points. We would love hear from you of what you think about these and if you think we’ve missed out on something crucial here, leave a comment! Your engagement gives us more fire-power to continue doing this!