Do you have a favorite kind of silence? For a year I've been writing about listening - how to, how not to, what to avoid, the benefits and listening facts
And in that time I've found I enjoy listening and that listening to silence is one of my favorite things to do. Now silence is interesting because there are different kinds of silence
The silence of monastery in meditation
The silence in a library, a graveyard or museum
How about the silence between the breaths you take in bed when falling asleep? The silence of an anechoic chamber
I spent 2 glorious summer months in New Zealand 30 years ago and remember an afternoon in a field in total silence no engine noise, no breeze, no animal sounds. Astonishing
I took my 9 year old son on a Safari in South Africa, we slept outside twice - amazing - the silence of the savanna at night
Then there is the silence between quarreling lovers when a wounding comment is hurled. John Cage wrote a piece of music called 4 minutes and 32 seconds while technically it is a "rest", it is just over four and a half minutes of silence - but the silence differs from performance to performance based on the acoustics of the space, the number, size, stillness and clothing of the audience...
So the next time you are listening, listen for the silence. What does it say to you?