SILENCE IS SOUNDLESS SPEECH

 

          SILENCE IS SOUNDLESS SPEECH

Silence is quietness, , soundlessness, wordlessness, muteness, uncommunicativeness, etc.  It speaks without words. It is not meaningless. Many a time it is more pleasant than unwanted speech. It preserves strength and prolongs life. It is non-disturbing. There are places like hospitals, nursing-homes, sensitive  areas, etcetera, where silence is legally necessary. Un-necessary speech is noise. It irritates, while  silence soothes. Silence is also meditation; it has a spiritual touch.

Scottish essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) says speech is great, but silence is greater. American scholar Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) said : Let us be silent that we may hear the whispers of gods. French mystic Madam Guyon (1648 -1717) speaks of three kinds of silence. Silence from words is good, because inordinate speaking tends to evil. Silence, or rest from desires and passions is still better, because it promotes quietness of spirit. But the best of all is silence from unnecessary and wandering thoughts because that is essential to internal recollection, and because it lays a foundation for a proper reputation and for silence in other respects.

Finally, a familiar suggestion: The world would be better if men had the same capacity to be silent that they have to speak.

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G.R.Kanwal

16 March 2024l