Silence

Often I find that the most valuable times of my day are the ones spent alone in thought. There is something special and different about time spent in silence, to the extent that productivity and creativity reach their peaks. In times like these, when the events surrounding me are full of questions and suffering, it is especially important to carve time out of the day to spend in silence, alone. Thinking. Wondering. Doubting. Wishing. Those four words describe some of my favorite things to do, things that there is never time enough in the day for.

All that being said, living in silence is the very opposite of our design. We are meant to live in community, surrounded and affected by the people around us. For all of the productivity and "solving the world's problems" which goes along with time spent alone in silence, I am never as complete or happy as I am when with others. Not only do I lose that joy when I am alone, but I begin to lose focus on those around me, a focus which is integral to who I am. With that in mind, I wrote this. I call it Silence. Enjoy.

Silence is surprisingly eloquent
but is eloquence an excuse for solitude?
If serenity endorses seclusion,
and the black hole of isolation
is permitted to run rampant,
winding its way through and between
every facet of custom and culture,
becoming one with the social order,
merging itself with the standards of today,
creating an expectation of silence
and a glorification of isolation;
If it segregates each from each other,
one from one another,
providing conversation with self, concerning self,
dutifully caring only about self,
then when the time comes to speak
with you, concerning you,
regardless of any debt to you,
will I have anything to say?
Or will I, suddenly
disappear in the darkness,
fearful that what might leave my lips
is not moving enough
and not articulate enough
to leave you speechless;
The fear of another voice
compels me to seek my secret place
leaving you, eloquently,
alone.

And so on...