Silence is one of the most powerful things when it comes to interaction and communication between people. The reason I say such a thing is to put into perspective the pause between sentences, the awkward feeling when you don’t know what to say when you are around a specific group of people or even a sense of connection with the other person. For everyone, for every couple or group of people, the reaction will be different. For instance, when you are with a new group of people, and you try to express yourself, but you don’t want to intrude, which is entirely normal, it can mean that you are nervous or shy. You don’t necessarily want to bother, so you stay quiet and listen. And, oh, boy! Sometimes the worst feeling is when you go to this one place with a friend of yours or an acquaintance, and they bring one other friend and you are left alone with that friend, and you are not sure what to say, and that is what I consider an awkward silence. On the other hand, there is the joyful silence, as I like to call it, where you can be with someone and not say anything and feel at peace and calm with yourself and not that shy.
I’ll tell you about a very prominent memory that lies in my mind. I was sitting at a park bench with my grandpa, and we like to observe people - it’s like a ritual we have to see how people interact with each other, dress or even the way they walk -, and we were sitting there for two hours or more, without a cellphone in our hands and the silence upon us. The only thing we did was sit and look around. We exchanged some words, but it was simply amazing. When you can be silent without feeling uncomfortable, the feeling you get when you know there is more than a superficial connection, there is a bond. I suggest you give it a shot, sit with a friend, a partner, or whoever you want and enjoy the silence there is. And appreciate it because even silence is something you have to practice, whether with meditation - with your thoughts - or with hearing the other person talk. Try it!
Z.
Comments