Shriya Week 11: Shhhhhhh
One afternoon when my sister was home for winter break a few years ago, we both stepped into the broad daylight to take a peaceful walk around the neighborhood. It was routine for us to do this, and I was hoping to talk to her and maybe catch-up on the last few months of our lives.
That, however, isn’t what she had in mind. Just as I began talking, she cut me off, looking me squarely in the eyes as she said, “Shhhh. Vaaya moodu, Shriya” ("shut up" in Tamil).
I was shocked, but more sad. As the youngest child in the family, I was used to people, especially my elder sister, telling me to be quiet. But why now, when I wanted nothing more than to talk to her after so much time of being 1641 miles apart? Why did she want to waste time with me in silence when we could be having so much more fun talking?
The feeling dissolved, though, as she told me to listen to the birds, and, as I listened, I understood why she’d told me to be quiet. In the silence, there was nothing, but it felt like everything. Rather than boredom, it was calming, meditative, and, dare I say, fun. Enjoying nature in silence with my sister was more refreshing than any talkative stroll we have ever had.
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In fact, at a spiritual retreat I went to last year situated in the middle of the woods, we would take a silent walk in mounam ("silence" in Sanskrit) each morning, and our days soon became so much more focused and productive. From 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., no one would be allowed to talk (not a particularly hard task since we were all half-asleep). Still, only hearing footsteps and birds chirping in the faraway distance made us all awake and more present, reflective, and calm.
Nowadays, on my solitary strolls in the evening, I try to foster a similar silence by taking off my headphones and gazing up at the stars and trees, basking in their beauty and embracing the powerful silence that envelops my mind.
Hello, Shriya! This week, I got to thoroughly enjoy your blog about the significance of just taking in your surroundings sometimes. I completely understand your initial disappointment at being told to be quiet; you had no understanding as to why your sister would tell you such a thing when all you had been looking forward to was finally catching up with her. I can personally relate as, whenever I go and visit my cousins out of state, I am always eager to hear about what they have been up to as well as update them on the happenings of my life. To continue, though, it seems you were able to gain insight into the importance of listening to the simplicity of nature in solitude or the company of your loved ones. Sometimes, it is just nice to take a step back and enjoy life bare bones. It was also interesting to see you connect this anecdote back to our quarter theme of “power”; at first glance, this heartwarming story would not have much relevance to such a concept, but the way you describe the power in silence and moments that go untold—because they do not need to be—was, for a lack of a better word, powerful. Thank you for your writing this week, and I look forward to your last blog about power next week.
ReplyDeleteHi Shriya! I loved the way you presented the importance of silence through a personal anecdote involving your older sibling. I completely relate to the constant feeling of being shushed and told to be quiet by older siblings. With a fourteen year age gap between my sister, being told to stop talking became commonplace. But now that I've gotten older, I realize it was all for a reason, and I too learned the significance of a silent atmosphere from my sister. We're in a world full of so much noise, industrialization, big cities, traffic, violence; silence itself is really hard to come by. We've grown accustomed to a noisy society and now perceive a moment of silence as a moment of time wasted. However, like you said, silence is really beneficial, and it is through silence that we truly become aware of the world.
ReplyDeleteHey Shriya, I loved the point your post made. Anytime I’m outside, I love listening to the natural sounds of the world around me, and this internal silence really calms me. I often go hiking in places distant from the sounds of civilization, and hearing nothing but my footsteps, the wind, and the little critters and insects around me brings a satisfying sense of peace. Even outside nature, I find that turning off the radio as I’m driving brings me to a place where I’m focused on just myself, the car, and driving. The sounds of the engine as I push the gas pedal and the rush of wind around the roof are very helpful in reducing any stress I may have (I’m still paying attention to the road and other factors around me so I don’t crash though). While I often do listen to music while doing homework, I know what you mean about the benefits of silent homework. Overall, your post is one that relates to me a lot, and I enjoyed reading it. If you were to improve one aspect of it, I would recommend talking more about how the lifestyle article affected your way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteHey Shriya, from what I've talked to you in class, your relationship with your family seems so heart-warming, and I love the way you present it in this blog, adding specific and personal touches such as the Tamil saying that you are so used to hearing. I completely agree with your idea that silence in nature can be so refreshing. There is often always so much going on inside the mind that we forget the millions of little things happening outside of it. I remember reading a line from a childhood book where one character told the main girl to listen, and if she listened intently enough she would be able to hear the spring leaf buds unfurling; your anecdote with your sister reminded me of that. I love how the narrative feel of your blog, and the background information that explains the emotions you feel on that walk with your sister, such as being the youngest child, provides just the right amount of context for the reader to appreciate your story.
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