Silencing the Noise
“All of the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own room.”
At the heart of it, I disagree with this quote from Blaise Pascal, a scientist and theologian from the 1600s. It seems like a strong statement to say that all of people’s unhappiness results from a lack of solitude. However, I find it significantly intriguing. Especially from a man whose life was not nearly as distracted as the digital age we live in now, and who did not even have to deal with the level of noise that has come from urbanization. Still, he pointed to problems of solitude.
There’s a problem when you cannot sit with yourself. This is because you need to know who you are before you can present yourself confidently to the rest of the world. Yet we cannot do that without being alone, without ignoring the input of the constantly distracted day and age and begin listening to our own mind, body, and soul. Solitude spurs from moments of a quiet soul, and often from long pauses of boredom. It occurs in the in between of input and output, creating a sacred middle ground where we enjoy a life-transforming pause.
Strangely enough, I’ve always found myself to be naturally gifted at finding the quiet moments. I’m an extrovert, and love being around people for almost every waking hour of the day. But I always hold true to the fact that I cannot be my best self without slowing down and enough to realize who I am. I need time, usually a minimum of 45 minutes every morning, to sit with myself quietly and soak in the day. It makes me more present, grounded, and strong.
If you’ve never considered trying silence and solitude as a practice, you probably should. Even if it’s just for a small part of your day, take 1 minute of absolute silence and 10 minutes of solitude afterwards and begin with those 11 minutes. That’s it. Maybe you won’t mind it all and keep the silence going longer, or you’ll find yourself in a state of solitude that is recharging you, so you stay in it longer. Whether you love time alone or absolutely dread it, begin with 11 minutes. Sooner or later, those 11 minutes could change the trajectory of your entire life.
