The Strength of Silence

 In today's world, if you aren't posting on social media, or if you aren't communicating with email or by texts or by phone, your silence to yourself can be deafening.  But I have spent hours working without talking and I have spent a lot of time by myself.  But if smoking a pipe has taught me anything it is that silence without a TV or communicating is time well spent.  But why?

Smoking a pipe often by myself has taught me something.  People who don't say much are often perceived as being wise.  I sometimes wish I had spent more time by myself in the woods of of our upstate NY home.  But we believe things like the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Many people fear silence because too often silence is a fear of loneliness.

Being by oneself is nothing to fear, but the contrary.  Being quiet forces one to listen.  I know what I am saying here is nothing new.  C. S. Lewis says the pipe closes the mouth of the foolish.  Abraham Lincoln says being quiet is best to be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.  The activity of writing, as I am doing here, is not silence.  Silence gives the mind the freedom to think.

I can say a lot about silence, as I have already said in previous posts.  But often silence is indicative of a calm mind even if just for a while.  But there is no need to fear silence.  I speak from experience.  I used to think I had a story that HAD to be told, but I think now it will be told in good time.  Everything great in life takes time to develop.  Take love, as an example, if is meant to be, there is no need to rush it.  

The best things in life are like an aged fine wine.  It just gets better with time.  We are often an impatient society that seems to rush from one crisis to the next.  But the best things in life need patience.  Silence teaches patience.  We don't need to post the first things that come into our minds.  Someone might say it before you do.  But thinking in silence will make you say it better.  

No one has an original thought.  We all plagiarize, to some degree.  But you are unique with your own thoughts.  We need to learn to converse with ourselves.  Tesla comes to mind.  He died penniless and alone.  But we now know Edison is credited with many of Tesla's ideas.  And today, while Edison was wealthy and famous we now know why.  It's too bad Tesla didn't live long enough to see his ideas come to fruition that now are credited to him.  

Tesla just might be the winner in today's world.  The first shall be last and the last will be first.  Some might say he was too quiet.  In today's world we now know the value of Tesla's mind.  Just because you are quiet does not mean you have no value.  Quite the contrary.  Often silence speaks volumes.  I have no fear of being left behind if I do not speak.  That makes much of what I say important.  

But still sometimes I wonder if I am quiet enough.  Wisdom takes years for the making.  Silence can't be taught.  It sets an example.  And it takes courage to not fear silence.  I learn this as I smoke my pipe.  Pipe smoking is a silent hobby, but there are times when the aroma of a pipe speaks for itself.  My wife let's me know what the aroma is saying.  If she doesn't like a particular tobacco, I'll know.  That is when silence says plenty.  It might rain later today.  It is overcast and 73 degrees.  Today, it is my Lee Van Cleef Meerschaum pipe with Tropical Export.  Thank you for your time and Peace to each one of you.

Dave