I read this week that music artist SZA went on a silence retreat(https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/sza-10-day-silence-retreat-161834999.html) and was immediately intrigued. As an introvert that lives alone and works remotely, I spend a lot of time in silence. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that I spend most of my time in silence with the only background noise coming from my iTunes because I don’t own a tv and haven’t in about 8 years. I can go weeks without talking to anyone with very little effort, although I don’t because my friends would be freaking out. It’s very easy to though and I love it. It’s peaceful. Unlike SZA I’m not a voluntary yapper and think that most people talk just to hear themselves. I speak when I have something meaningful to say and I find value in silence. It allows me to hear ALL of my thoughts clearly and concisely.
The idea of an actual silence retreat intrigued me because who knew that such a thing existed and how do I sign up?
I was delighted to see that SZA had gone on the retreat led by Sadghuru who’s pretty controversial because people liken him to a cult leader and call his teachings pseudo-science but anything that deters you away from melting your brain cells away doom scrolling, they consider pseudoscience. Sadguru teaches things like Spiritual awakening, enlightenment, divinity, grounding and self-transformation.
With so much going on in the world I think it’s great to intentionally go quiet. Just stop talking. When you think about how much of what we say is actually meaningful or are we talking just to fill space? The Philosopher Socrates once quoted “Before speaking, consider if your words are true, kind, and necessary to ensure they are constructive and respectful.” If we followed those guidelines we might find that silence is a better option than mindlessly chattering away. Going silent might bring a renewed sense of calm, clarity and peace to our lives.
Ironically enough, although SZA posted about her silence retreat on Instagram, I’d love to hear her talk about it one day.
“Wise men speak because they have something to say;fools speak because they have to say something”
Introverted and anti-social 