Meditation of one kind is being quiet enough to watch your thoughts and feelings rise up while you "see" and feel them form...while you inhabit the space where they come from.
I've always enjoyed silence and always enjoyed sitting and simply observing. Not much for the all-time-phone thing. I frequently leave it at home.
When I lived in the states, there was a park I would go to, lie down in the grass, and for an hour or so just observe the world with my eyes closed. Sounds kind of weird, but I suppose I was observing my internal world which in a real sense is where I've always been most comfortable.
I love silence in the morning. I don't want to talk, just think and allow the deliciousness to be. Hey, doesn't always work out that way, but it is something I deliberately seek. Thanks again.
Wow never considered how with the scarcity of silence, it should be considered a luxury - brilliant! Enjoyed this piece - as always - and the footnotes, especially the last one! In my 20s, i llived above a friend of mine who would just go about her days in utter silence. I found it completely unhinged ha, like the idea of silence was an absurd terror. And yet when i quit drinking in my late 20s, suddenly, i was down with silence - still am to this day - love it immensely. When I had my first bout of tinnitus this year, i felt like i'd lost a dear old friend - silence.
That’s a side issue that I didn’t touch upon- tinnitus. I reckon these perpetual headphones exacerbate it, in the same way that screens mean (I believe) that there are more young people wearing glasses and contacts than their used to be.
So true about quitting drinking! So true! Tho learning how to express my anger in a healthy way was a tough side effect. Thanks for the tinnitus trick. . . it gave me an opportunity to be curious and aware of my immediate judgment function when I looked at the video because I think tapping - or any variety thereof - can be at best a harmless placebo and at worst an impediment to people finding treatment for certain ailments. However, we won't really know until researchers decide to give the treatment enough validity to actually study it. So, I will try it but I'm ever skepticcal about internet viral treatments that are not researched. It's free tho and if it works i will report back with honesty! Thanks, Tom!
After reading this and the comments, I’m attempting to inventory how many moments per day I spend in true silence.
I prepare and eat breakfast in silence but I do look at my phone when I eat breakfast. Curious detail: I eat breakfast in almost darkness. Only two (artificial) flickering candles light up the space.
I shower in silence.
I walk and exercise in silence.
I can feel the technology pull and plead for attention. I can still resist it, but for how long?
That's definitely something everyone should do. This whole tech situation is predicated on people defaulting to it, on having no real awareness of what they are doing. Being conscious of what you do breaks the spell I’ve found. But maintaining that awareness is easier said than done…
Being aware, as you point out, does break the spell. One other advantage I have is that I have lived before internet. It’s, when I think about it, a completely different life. A slower pace.
Me too, and I wonder if that is our saving grace. Without descending into ‘won’t someone please think of the children?’ type hand-wringing, I do worry about the teens and young adults who’ve had ipads and phones thrust at them since birth.
Right-O, synchronized heart beat on that! It appears as though a consumer culture propagates consuming at all costs. Even consumption of "being." Perhaps this is a far stretch, but the culture seems to be consuming itself. A decade ago, I ran into dire straights financially. Due to the need to survive, I strictly cut my consumption habits. The discovery that my life was dramatically enhanced & enriched by a new paradigm concerning consuming was a lasting & liberating gift. I'm back to my childhood pleasures that cost $0, nature & silence - "being" present without spending $ & without eroding myself. I'm a an older person & a lifelong visual artist. Making art can become VERY expensive. So, I've even returned to the simple pleasure of drawing....
If the best things in life are free (and I believe there’s a lot of truth to that idea) then the marketing departments benefit from us keeping our eyes plug and our eyes on the screens…
True, true... I don't know if the best things in life are free, or not. Suffice it to suggest, everything "costs" something - that's rather esoteric & rangy (not rangey, hey, hey). I'll stick with gratitude to you for originating such a delightfully full "thread" of thoughts from all around :-) concerning contemplation on silence, or lack thereof.
Perhaps I could rephrase it as ‘the best things in life are the rewards of a payment in time and effort rather than money’. If this is the case then these endless feeds and social media invert this idea as they take your time and effort without giving you any of that contentment or peace which are often the reward for pursuing things that are free.
I'm a Brit, and I notice that almost everybody walks along with their eyes glued to their phone, and with an ear thing in their ear. I love silence, but there seems to be almost a fear of it: think of how many tv programmes or Youtube videos have (so-called) music droning on in the background even when someone is speaking. I mean: why?! I think we have to practise silence too. One of my favourite quotes, which I try to live by, especially in meetings, is from Salvator Rosa: Be silent, unless what you have to say is better than silence.
Back before threads were Threads™, I wrote a simple one about silence (https://twitter.com/vitabenes/status/1060478476074041344). I still remember that day, though I tend to forget the lesson of it, too often. Your piece is a good reminder.
Great insight and observation. I didn’t really understand silence until I spent my first hour in a sensory deprivation tank at FloatSpot. Watching my brain grasp on to any, ANY nuance of sound or rhythm in the vacuum was incredible, and then it ultimately created visual fireworks for some amount of time, then gave up and succumbed to the auditory and visual nirvana that is being truly alone.
Always been curious about those sensory deprivation tank things. I guess really destimulating one sense will make other aspects of your perception amplify. Interesting stuff.
Somehow, my inner voice is almost always louder than anything else. For that reason, whether a track has lyrics or not, whether I’m with earbuds or not, whether I’m in a work meeting, strolling through the city, commuting, or even having dinner with friends – any surrounding sounds at any moment can become just an accompanying background noise if my inner voice transcends it. I don’t know if that’s a virtue or vice, a curse or a blessing, but one thing for which I’m grateful to it is, any degree of silence is as bearable- or pleasant- as any kind of noise, either in solitude or in amidst the gurgling crowd. Perhaps, controlling one’s inner voice is another topic... btw I’m not mental (I wish to think so). Anyways, great essay, cheers!
I am very tempted to make this hypothesis: Those who wishes to plug their ear the most has the loudest inner voice and the wisest, strongest mind. And the mind either wants to fight back against "society" or "the system" if it is of a mind of good conscience, or demand blood sacrifices if it is of a mind of power. Thus cultural luddism and psychopathic sadism are both people who are for people trying not to stir the pot and promote this drone music habit. Of course the masses would be against hearing their voice for the latter (in fear of receiving pain from someone's mental breakdown), but market-brand the former as "mindfulness" and "listen to your body" to improve productivity rather than aide in escape from their framework. https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/against-waldenpondinghttps://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/against-waldenponding-ii
Great article. But black and white noise helps me a lot ( crows, street noise), although I prefer without. And yes, great ideas surface while walking in silence!
I think it all comes down to intentionality, as with all things. And the problem I see (or at least sense) is that so many are turning to these devices just purely by default because everyone else is. It’s strange.
Thanks. That's usually what I am trying to do with these essays- just offer little reminders. No of it is groundbreaking stuff, really, but I think many of us need reminding about such things.
Strikes me yet again how closely related to my week your weekend's essays give on an outline, Bevan. May be the wonders of being forever watchful and writing, your panopticon as an artist does seem to increase....
Hey, I’m certainly not gonna complain about that. I’m just pleased my stuff is getting through to people who seem genuinely receptive or if they disagree they are the last of the breed who disagree respectfully and insightfully. A blessing.
The silence and lack of distractions is what I enjoy the most about getting off the grid and going backpacking, something I haven’t done nearly enough of lately. But inspired by this article, I’m going to take a long walk this evening. Not sure I can leave my phone behind but it’ll be in a deep pocket in my backpack.
This is great to here! Hope you have a great time. And as to the phone issue, even if you need to keep it on your person, no one says it has to be switched on all the time.
Meditation of one kind is being quiet enough to watch your thoughts and feelings rise up while you "see" and feel them form...while you inhabit the space where they come from.
I really love this ☺️
Lovely article, Thomas. Thanks.
I've always enjoyed silence and always enjoyed sitting and simply observing. Not much for the all-time-phone thing. I frequently leave it at home.
When I lived in the states, there was a park I would go to, lie down in the grass, and for an hour or so just observe the world with my eyes closed. Sounds kind of weird, but I suppose I was observing my internal world which in a real sense is where I've always been most comfortable.
I love silence in the morning. I don't want to talk, just think and allow the deliciousness to be. Hey, doesn't always work out that way, but it is something I deliberately seek. Thanks again.
I like the riff. An inversion... sort of a utopia.
P.S. I *think* you're in your 30s, but i have to remind myself on the daily you aren't 70.
35, 36 in January. But I’m one of those guys who was born old, you know.
Wow never considered how with the scarcity of silence, it should be considered a luxury - brilliant! Enjoyed this piece - as always - and the footnotes, especially the last one! In my 20s, i llived above a friend of mine who would just go about her days in utter silence. I found it completely unhinged ha, like the idea of silence was an absurd terror. And yet when i quit drinking in my late 20s, suddenly, i was down with silence - still am to this day - love it immensely. When I had my first bout of tinnitus this year, i felt like i'd lost a dear old friend - silence.
That’s a side issue that I didn’t touch upon- tinnitus. I reckon these perpetual headphones exacerbate it, in the same way that screens mean (I believe) that there are more young people wearing glasses and contacts than their used to be.
I know people who swear by this ‘one weird trick’ to help alleviate/lesson tinnitus btw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yDCox-qKbk
And congratulations on quitting drinking, another means of blotting out the inner voices as it tries to tell us inconvenient but necessary truths.
So true about quitting drinking! So true! Tho learning how to express my anger in a healthy way was a tough side effect. Thanks for the tinnitus trick. . . it gave me an opportunity to be curious and aware of my immediate judgment function when I looked at the video because I think tapping - or any variety thereof - can be at best a harmless placebo and at worst an impediment to people finding treatment for certain ailments. However, we won't really know until researchers decide to give the treatment enough validity to actually study it. So, I will try it but I'm ever skepticcal about internet viral treatments that are not researched. It's free tho and if it works i will report back with honesty! Thanks, Tom!
After reading this and the comments, I’m attempting to inventory how many moments per day I spend in true silence.
I prepare and eat breakfast in silence but I do look at my phone when I eat breakfast. Curious detail: I eat breakfast in almost darkness. Only two (artificial) flickering candles light up the space.
I shower in silence.
I walk and exercise in silence.
I can feel the technology pull and plead for attention. I can still resist it, but for how long?
That's definitely something everyone should do. This whole tech situation is predicated on people defaulting to it, on having no real awareness of what they are doing. Being conscious of what you do breaks the spell I’ve found. But maintaining that awareness is easier said than done…
Being aware, as you point out, does break the spell. One other advantage I have is that I have lived before internet. It’s, when I think about it, a completely different life. A slower pace.
Me too, and I wonder if that is our saving grace. Without descending into ‘won’t someone please think of the children?’ type hand-wringing, I do worry about the teens and young adults who’ve had ipads and phones thrust at them since birth.
Right-O, synchronized heart beat on that! It appears as though a consumer culture propagates consuming at all costs. Even consumption of "being." Perhaps this is a far stretch, but the culture seems to be consuming itself. A decade ago, I ran into dire straights financially. Due to the need to survive, I strictly cut my consumption habits. The discovery that my life was dramatically enhanced & enriched by a new paradigm concerning consuming was a lasting & liberating gift. I'm back to my childhood pleasures that cost $0, nature & silence - "being" present without spending $ & without eroding myself. I'm a an older person & a lifelong visual artist. Making art can become VERY expensive. So, I've even returned to the simple pleasure of drawing....
If the best things in life are free (and I believe there’s a lot of truth to that idea) then the marketing departments benefit from us keeping our eyes plug and our eyes on the screens…
True, true... I don't know if the best things in life are free, or not. Suffice it to suggest, everything "costs" something - that's rather esoteric & rangy (not rangey, hey, hey). I'll stick with gratitude to you for originating such a delightfully full "thread" of thoughts from all around :-) concerning contemplation on silence, or lack thereof.
Perhaps I could rephrase it as ‘the best things in life are the rewards of a payment in time and effort rather than money’. If this is the case then these endless feeds and social media invert this idea as they take your time and effort without giving you any of that contentment or peace which are often the reward for pursuing things that are free.
I dunno, I’m just riffing here.
I'm a Brit, and I notice that almost everybody walks along with their eyes glued to their phone, and with an ear thing in their ear. I love silence, but there seems to be almost a fear of it: think of how many tv programmes or Youtube videos have (so-called) music droning on in the background even when someone is speaking. I mean: why?! I think we have to practise silence too. One of my favourite quotes, which I try to live by, especially in meetings, is from Salvator Rosa: Be silent, unless what you have to say is better than silence.
You’re a man after my own heart, Terry. Damn ear things in their ears.
Back before threads were Threads™, I wrote a simple one about silence (https://twitter.com/vitabenes/status/1060478476074041344). I still remember that day, though I tend to forget the lesson of it, too often. Your piece is a good reminder.
Normally I would mock you (or anyone) who commented with a link to tweets but that thread was great so I’ll refrain…
Great insight and observation. I didn’t really understand silence until I spent my first hour in a sensory deprivation tank at FloatSpot. Watching my brain grasp on to any, ANY nuance of sound or rhythm in the vacuum was incredible, and then it ultimately created visual fireworks for some amount of time, then gave up and succumbed to the auditory and visual nirvana that is being truly alone.
Always been curious about those sensory deprivation tank things. I guess really destimulating one sense will make other aspects of your perception amplify. Interesting stuff.
Somehow, my inner voice is almost always louder than anything else. For that reason, whether a track has lyrics or not, whether I’m with earbuds or not, whether I’m in a work meeting, strolling through the city, commuting, or even having dinner with friends – any surrounding sounds at any moment can become just an accompanying background noise if my inner voice transcends it. I don’t know if that’s a virtue or vice, a curse or a blessing, but one thing for which I’m grateful to it is, any degree of silence is as bearable- or pleasant- as any kind of noise, either in solitude or in amidst the gurgling crowd. Perhaps, controlling one’s inner voice is another topic... btw I’m not mental (I wish to think so). Anyways, great essay, cheers!
I am very tempted to make this hypothesis: Those who wishes to plug their ear the most has the loudest inner voice and the wisest, strongest mind. And the mind either wants to fight back against "society" or "the system" if it is of a mind of good conscience, or demand blood sacrifices if it is of a mind of power. Thus cultural luddism and psychopathic sadism are both people who are for people trying not to stir the pot and promote this drone music habit. Of course the masses would be against hearing their voice for the latter (in fear of receiving pain from someone's mental breakdown), but market-brand the former as "mindfulness" and "listen to your body" to improve productivity rather than aide in escape from their framework. https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/against-waldenponding https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/against-waldenponding-ii
We’re all a bit mental, some just have more of a handle on it than others…
Great article. But black and white noise helps me a lot ( crows, street noise), although I prefer without. And yes, great ideas surface while walking in silence!
I think it all comes down to intentionality, as with all things. And the problem I see (or at least sense) is that so many are turning to these devices just purely by default because everyone else is. It’s strange.
So beautiful and pertinent. Silence never lies, true. Thank you for this reminder.
Thanks. That's usually what I am trying to do with these essays- just offer little reminders. No of it is groundbreaking stuff, really, but I think many of us need reminding about such things.
Strikes me yet again how closely related to my week your weekend's essays give on an outline, Bevan. May be the wonders of being forever watchful and writing, your panopticon as an artist does seem to increase....
Hey, I’m certainly not gonna complain about that. I’m just pleased my stuff is getting through to people who seem genuinely receptive or if they disagree they are the last of the breed who disagree respectfully and insightfully. A blessing.
The silence and lack of distractions is what I enjoy the most about getting off the grid and going backpacking, something I haven’t done nearly enough of lately. But inspired by this article, I’m going to take a long walk this evening. Not sure I can leave my phone behind but it’ll be in a deep pocket in my backpack.
This is great to here! Hope you have a great time. And as to the phone issue, even if you need to keep it on your person, no one says it has to be switched on all the time.
You’ve got a very fitting username.