being quiet is healthy
Silence. That word immediately makes me think of the most melodramatic version of nothingness. Yes, I have an innate sense for grand drama. The opera world would welcome me with open arms. But this Friday is the international Day of Silence. Elke is meanwhile playing a nice record, our dearest interns Amber and Danique are already going through the campaign plan for the weekend and I'm chatting with Simone about tea bags, all under the lovely blowing of our climate controller. Silence is a rare thing in the editorial office. And when it is quiet, our sales director Daan will shout something into the void. He is the worst at silences.
If the inside of my head becomes a kind of freaked-out version of the Carnival Festival in the Efteling, then I need to clear things out. And how do you do that? I run straight to a salon for a one-and-a-half-hour massage. But it seems you can also do it with silence, because silence is healthy. But it is also quite scarce. Take the humming of a tire on asphalt or the ticking of the traffic light at the crosswalk. And if that bird keeps quiet, then nine times out of ten, bad weather is on the way. I'm telling you: being silent is a complex thing. You also have the fact that when it is finally quiet, your brain takes a little trip. Just try to be consciously silent, I bet you'll maneuver from the buzzing of your dishwasher to hanging up the laundry and adding detergent to your shopping list in no time? But if you ignore all those side issues for a moment, being silent is very healthy. That's not what it's all about. Today, thousands of students around the world are taking the vow of silence. Not because they are going crazy from the non-stop chatter of the day, but to literally be silent and stand still against bullying, discrimination, and assault. How beautiful is that? Look, those are the bigger issues you can ponder when you press the mute button for a moment (note to self).
‘Today, thousands of students around the world are taking the vow of silence.’
And do you want to practice being silent a bit more in your daily activities? You can, even without analyzing world problems, just by relaxing for a moment. You could ban all ticking clocks, roaring refrigerators, and other bubbling machines from your living environment. And definitely go meditate, because when meditating it's all about being really silent. When I try, I still get lost in making my shopping list, but anyway. Finally: build silences into your life. Look, I can do that. I envision a few days on a pristine white beach with just some gentle waves at my feet. Because you shouldn't silence nature, that's not what you want. Happy Day of Silence everyone.
