The Power of Silence and Words!

When I was a child I was told the riddle “sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me”. I tried to believe that but it never seemed very true. Words can hurt. They can sting just as bad as any scrape. They can shoot through you if you’re not prepared. Or they can break your heart into pieces and make you feel like you are suffocating. Sometimes the right words are said but turn out to be empty promises that bear no fruit. Actions often speak louder than words.
Other times it’s not the words that hurt. It’s the silence. Sometimes the silence is so loud you want to pierce it with a scream. Silence can also represent regrets. Words that were never said. Opportunities lost forever in the silence. Broken promises. The letting go of a dream that seems to drift away into the silence. Silence can be uncomfortable and awkward. Silence can also represent suffering. People around the world often suffer in silence.
However, that being said, the opposite is also true. Words can invoke hope and deep meaningful emotion. They can encourage, support, and have the power to change lives. Silence can be comforting. It can heal. Taking time to be silent can lead to deep reflection. Or meditation. Strength can be found in the silence. And sometimes even enlightenment. Many positive things can arise from silence. It can be comforting and often nothing needs to be said or done because it is already known through the silence. Much of our human interaction consists of non-verbal communication. Facial expressions, gestures and body language are a soundless yet telling language. Eyes can say a million words. A smile can brighten a day.
I wrote the first part of this blog (the negative part) many months ago. I am now in a spot where I continued writing the positive side. I’ve been so fortunate to be tucked away in a quiet and peaceful community in a remote but astonishingly beautiful area of the world. I am learning how to grow peacefully in the silence. And am observing that there is a great power that exists in the silence.
Silence in our society is rare, so cherish the silent moments and try to immerse yourself in pockets of silence.

Calling on my Soul!

I’ve been in a sort of hiding from the world for the past little while. Limited internet, limited phone, limited conversation, and very little contact with the outside world. Several months back, I wanted to run away from the life that had gradually fallen apart in Ottawa, so that’s what I did. However, I quickly discovered that you can never run away from yourself. And most of our problems reside within so they tend to follow you wherever you go. So although I stepped away from my previous life I took myself, my constant companion with me.
It would have been easy enough to have found a way to have made myself unconscious to life and my constant introspective mind. Many people live unconscious lives and there are countless paths and forms of unconsciousness from drinking, smoking, drugs, any sort of addiction etc…to simply deciding to settle for a mediocre life. It takes courage, strength, and perseverance to truly become conscious. Developing a truly conscious awareness takes a lot of work. Often we see and learn things about our self that we don’t like.
Back in Ottawa, I would often go through days feeling like a zombie. I often felt empty, burnt out, and frustrated. My mind would constantly question the purpose and meaning of life despite the fact of having so much. I yearned for some guiding force and I would often catch glimpses of what I presumed to be my soul.
However, these glimpses and clues were often pushed aside because of the fast pace of life. My soul had been suppressed in a society that doesn’t believe or simply doesn’t have time to believe. We are a society that functions primarily on the physical plane. We demand for scientific data and proof and often disregard other possibilities if they can’t be proved by a study. And on top of that, we want instant results and immediate gratification.
I searched within our seemingly soulless society to try and find meaning but I just couldn’t find anything lasting. I yearned for a spiritual journey and after enough asking that is what I received.
Once the major part of my spiritual journey started I somehow thought it would be easy, like I would automatically somehow become enlightened. Patience has never been my strong point. But like anything it has been full of ups and downs. I joke that instead of being at a triathlon training camp, I’m now at a spiritual training camp. Building a base and foundation for my soul. Instead of losing physical weight, I’m working on losing the weight of the world. Instead of building muscles I’m building up a good storage of “soul fat”. Namaste!