Get in Touch With Silence

It was a week since some parents, teachers and drivers coming to drop and pick up children to a school found a post-it kind sticker pasted on their cars saying ‘Get in Touch with Silence”. They would remove the stickers but it would appear on another day.

One day the principal saw it on his car too. The mystery was solved when a sealed envelope reached the principal. It contained the sticker saying “Get in Touch with Silence” and a letter stating “Silence is demanded from others by those who themselves are not quiet.”  It is not enough to teach students to ‘Keep Silence’ outside Principal’s office or in classrooms, there is more responsibility to be taken by teaching institutions. Sir your car driver and other vehicles of teachers and students honk excessively outside the school adding to chaos outside the school making no change to the vehicular movement at that time Twice a day 5 days, a week it causes terrible noise pollution and is very unfair for the residents around. Signed… Silence.

The message was loud and clear. The principal immediately initiated a No Honking campaign and would personally be outside school premises to check the effectiveness and implementation of the campaign. The noise decibels fell far below permissible limits and in getting this done there was no noise.  

A young District Collector (DC) of a large town had her ways to make silence an effective process at work. Why should others tell you what you should know. She would take 2-3 departmental Head of Departments (HOD) for surprise visits without official escort to different areas walking by lanes mingling in the crowd. Each HOD was to make his own notes to what they saw was irregular, misuses by shop owners, encroachers and other aspects that were inconveniencing traffic or pedestrians.

No talks were allowed: the silence was intentional to focus in noticing all irregularities and prove competency for the responsibility one held. Back in office the notes were compared. The challenge to all HOD was to match minimum 75% that of Collector’s list of observations. Anything less was considered incompetency and an enquiry would be initiated. Time lines for appropriate departmental action were then rigorously pursued.

We need to “Get in touch with silence” to learn how and when silence can prove to be a higher form of speaking without actually to use any spoken words. Loud discussions and protests are often an attempt for self-visibility and those that are genuine the manner of their protests is irresponsibly represented sparking dimensions that invite more problems than solutions. The day there is accountability pinned on protestors for damaging consequences during their protest the numbers will reduce and the representations will get silent and decisive.

Silence has a myriad of meanings; there can be absence of words but never an absence of meaning. It is wonderfully humble, it never interferes, never interrupts and never makes promises. The wise say silence is the unbearable repartee.

The words Silent & Listen contain same alphabets each worthy in practice. As one gets older more you realize silence can hold more than speaking words will ever. The period of silence in a conversation often carries significant unspoken meaning. Where silence itself communicates ideas or feelings such as respect, disagreement, or deep thought. Silence should always be preferred over unmeaning words, the best answer to anger. However, one must take caution that voicing truth is not replaced by silence.  

Spiritually speaking egotism and anger are silenced through the Shabad. "Make silence your ear-rings, and compassion your wallet; let meditation be your begging bowl. Sew this body as your patched coat, and take the Lord’s Name as your support". SGGS Ang970