Silence

Silence, We define it as the complete absence of sound but this definition fails to capture the profundity of the subject. As humans, our earliest existence is shrouded in obscurity and silence. Sperm penetrates ovum and zygote forms, initiating a procreative process designed by the Creator - God. In the liquid-filled tomb of the womb, we take form, like when God created dry land from formless water. Though surrounded by the constant noise of bodily organs at work, we develop and learn in silence, As we experience mother’s emotions of love or hate, feelings of rejection or acceptance, of joy or sorrow. We hear her sing and talk and laugh, the good, the bad, we hear it all in the silence of the womb. Then we are born, and life outside the womb begins. We eat, we grow, we learn and live. But with each day of life, a miracle is repeated as busy days give way to restful nights. As the levels of serotonin and melatonin in our body decrease and increase respectively, we drift into a state of unconscious sleep, and enter the realm of silence once again. Silence that is essential for our continued existence. For it is during the silence of deep sleep that worn out cells are replaced, depleted energy restored, and life force replenished. Then there are times when we retreat for periods of meditation to a secluded place. In this metaphysical realm of silence; thoughts, ideas, dreams and memories filed away in our subconscious mind, percolate into the conscious mind. It is during such moments that we connect with our Creator, the source of life, the One who gives life meaning and purpose, the reason for our being, the essence of our existence. As the silence of sleep is essential to our mental and physical wellbeing, so is the silence of meditation to our emotional, mental and spiritual health. And what of those times when for reasons unknown to science, our bodies retreat into a comatose state of silence. When with eyes wide open we do not see, Or with eyes shut tight we behold scenes of celestial beauty,, And though unconscious, we can hear what is spoken though we cannot respond with words but only with a gentle squeeze of hand. Then there is the ultimate silence. The silence of death, the culmination of our life on this earth. Life is bookended by silence in gestation and silence in death. This sounds very hopeless. What are we to make of this? Without a Supreme Creator in the picture, the period between the bookends lacks meaning and purpose. Those who find true meaning and fulfillment and purpose in life, are the ones who spend time in the silence of meditation each day, getting to know their Creator and learning about His purpose and plan for their lives. I challenge you to explore the major philosophies and worldviews, rigorously interrogate their premises. Analyze their answers to the questions of origin, purpose, meaning, morality and destiny. Test these answers to see how they play out in the real world. Do they past the test of coherence? Do they make sense? I have discovered that the answers provided by the Judeo-Christian worldview make the most sense to me, and so, I spend time each day in silence, meditating on the wisdom found in the Bible and communicating with God my Creator, in prayer. Silence! Silence!! Silence!!! It is indeed golden to the wise who discover and utilize its life-transforming benefits