How Much Does Silence Say?

Of all the forms of language and expression a person has to communicate, the least reliable is speech . So, let the silence begin …

Lying is as simple as using one word instead of another and giving it a value that it shouldn’t have. That easy. There are those who lie more than they speak.

And of course, there are those who do not want to lie. But, focusing on the sincerity of the message, to lie or not to lie is a decision, as a general rule.

Gestural language

What happens, for example, with sign language? I mean the uncontrolled. Who is so difficult to hide.

A pout when someone does something that you completely disagree with. Or a situation that invites you to sketch an inevitable and sincere smile. Or sweating in uncomfortable or stressful situations.

The change from a natural color to a more reddish one when someone has the pleasure of being complimented … Of course, everyone’s response is different. It varies in intensity, duration, or nuances.

But what these responses have in common is that they are spontaneous, they are difficult to repress and therefore they have more truth if you want to know a reaction.

Be quiet

And what about silence? Is it not, perhaps, the maximum expression of expressionlessness being at the same time the most revealing?

But sooner or later, if you want something, you end up expressing it. And from the first moment there are indications that this is the case, even if they are not totally clear. I think that when the opposite happens, when something is not wanted or needed, that is when a feeling is most evident.

Hatred and rejection are manifested more clearly, with much more force. Without frills, a simple silence is often more implacable. Silence sends a clearer message than a long speech with innumerable points to stop at.

Silence says no or says yes, but says it with more force, because it does not allow itself to be adorned by anything. More than granting, the silence sentences . And silence is an answer, of course it is.

It is not absence, just that it does not let anything get near it. Don’t let you get away. When you have no answer, silence makes your lack clear. In other places like China it is better valued.

Here it is almost an offense, we need to fill it with whatever. “Keep speaking for God, lest I understand you.” It all depends on the question, be careful. But if it hurts more than an insult hurts, it is because it produces a certain indifference. And being alive, the last thing anyone wants is a minute of silence. Not that they ask you please.

The silence and the breathing

Breathe in silence. Breathe alone. Fundamental activity to survive the current maelstrom. Introspection. Bombarded by information for most of the day, silence becomes our best friend. Disconnecting the mind from everything and keeping silent is our salvation.

Let us go to take refuge in breathing in silence to avoid being contaminated. Pablo d’Ors, Spanish writer and sacedorte tells us that “without silence there is no interiority”. And it is so necessary to be with ourselves that we should be at least an hour a day. In absolute silence for an hour a day, without reading, without sending messages, without music, without TV … Decontaminating ourselves.

Image courtesy of Alexander Kuznetsov and Gary Warren