Our society has changed so much over the years! And not necessarily for the better…
When I wake up early in the morning these days, I check my cellphone to see if I missed any calls (when I sleep, I always put my phone on Do Not Disturb), then I have my morning coffee and start browsing my mail. There are so many junk messages!
I browse social media and the news, only to be bombarded by hundreds of ads I never asked for. And if I don’t tap the phone correctly with my chubby finger, the ads I’m trying to avoid appear in full size instead of disappearing! Pure madness. Hasn’t this happened to you?
If they could sell you a soul, they would!
I look for the latest news. As always, most of it is bad news. Wars, politicians lying, natural disasters, crime, racism, and much more. In this crazy world, bad news sells better than good news.
I stop. I don’t want to lose the happiness I woke up with. I leave my phone on the table. Outside my home, they are building a new apartment complex. It’s eight o’clock in the morning. Time to start the noise.
The phone rings! I must answer. But why? I don’t want to. I haven’t even finished my coffee or brushed my teeth. Yet the little bug has already taken up residence in my brain. I must answer…
I could go on and on. It’s time to work, but it doesn’t matter if I close all the windows in my home. I can still hear the rumbling of the machines building the new bloody apartment complex! I put on my headphones to listen to soothing music, but the song is interrupted once or twice by more advertising! I start to feel stressed. I cannot concentrate on my work.
There is so much noise everywhere. It’s all around us. I cannot stand it anymore. We have built a society where we cannot escape the noise. And if we are not careful, the noise starts to feel normal. It becomes the routine of every day…
When was the last time we enjoyed the music of silence?
That moment in space and time when the only thing you can hear is the voice of your heart?
Some turn to yoga; others to meditation. Some even go to an empty church. But when you finish, everything starts again…
I was one of the lucky ones because I discovered the ocean at a very young age. By immersing myself beneath the sea’s surface, I found the silence I had longed for. The ocean can teem with fish and other creatures, yet the silence remains. It’s as if all these animals have learned to live in the calm of silence. And if, for any reason, you hear a sound, it’s not noise. It is the music of nature that soothes you even more.
Nature: the balm of the soul!
The place we always belonged to, but many forgot to return. We are always running, believing we are doing important things. But we are not. We are not living: we are just existing. For life is the greatest gift you can receive. And your life is measured in time. Why not seek a balanced life in which we share our duties with moments of total quiet and serendipity, and stay in our natural balance?
When I was younger, I loved to surf in the ocean. I loved to dive beneath its waters. I still do. But with all the noise from bustling cities, I have found my last refuge in the quiet of the night, when everyone is partying or driving.
I take my faithful snorkel and fins, my torches, and I literally escape into the deep oceans. I just place my head below the water, and suddenly all the noise stops. I stay for hours. I can only hear my own breathing and the voice of my heart as I watch in awe a wonderful world that thrives in silence. There is no gossip, no cellphones, no bad news.
Just a world that has learned to live in harmony with its silence.
Sometimes, when I reach a safe place in the middle of the ocean, I close my eyes and stay still. Suddenly, an hour of true serendipity feels like five minutes, because when you are truly happy, time flies.
When I finally go back to shore, I always feel renewed, as if I left behind in the ocean all that poisoned my heart and mind. Suddenly, I feel as if I no longer exist. I am once again living my life to the fullest.
Whether it is a forest, the mountains, staying close to a quiet river, or simply walking through nature’s beauty, give your mind, your soul, and your heart a chance to disconnect from our crazy world.
Trust me: you will feel renewed. You will feel alive. You will always end with a smile on your face. Always.
Just like when I go to my beloved ocean every day to wet my scales and be in total harmony with the Universe and with myself.
The rest can always wait.
It must.
…a dreamer…