Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent (Prov. 17:28).

Silence is inspiring. We are bombarded with noise. We are so busy dealing with the noise, we barely find time to take care even of the necessities of life. It is a fact that we cannot escape the most burning and deepest questions of life such as who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? What must I do to be happy? What is the meaning of my life? Who creates me? Did he create me for a purpose? What is that purpose? It is in silence that the answers to these questions emerge. Unless we become students at the school of silence, life’s frustrations are just unbearable. Silence is fundamental to our perennial happiness. We do harm to ourselves if we never step out of the noise to experience silence. Unless we purposefully choose holy solitude, we are courting loneliness. Cultivate the virtue of silence.

Nature teaches us that it is in silence that life grows. It is in the silent night that trees, flowers, plants flourish; it is in silence that the most powerful forces– the stars, the moon and the sun— of the universe conduct their businesses. It is very telling that it is not in a palace or in the city that the King of kings was born, but in the silence of the night. We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. She points us to God .

We procure noise even when we are jogging in the countryside—totally unnecessary. We create noise in the car, in the market, in the street, and in our room. We almost cannot escape it, unless we want to. Being in the noise steals all opportunity to enjoy the sweetness of life. If we are not busy with television, it is the Internet, Facebook et al, the IPhone, and people. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all this? I do.

Allow me to propose silence as an alternative. it is in silence that we find clarity and a sense of meaning. It is in silence that life’s secret is revealed to us. It is in silence that we understand what God is telling us. It is in silence that our restless hearts find peace and leisure. Silence is the key to live life with passion and purpose. Silence is how you build yourself up to face the inevitable misfortunes of life. Silence is how you find what you need to do with your life, or the next step to take, or how to act and react to life’s curve balls. How can you deal with them without silence? Silence is golden. Do you realize when you are lost driving, you usually need to turn off the radio and ask everyone to be silence in order to find the right direction again? Do you ever wonder why? It is because it is in the classroom of silence the life’s puzzles are solved.

Grace yourself 15 minutes of silence everyday, and you will soon drink at the fountain of her delight. It is the most generous gift you can give to yourself. Disconnect— from electronic devices and people— to simply be quiet with you, yourself; I mean your self. It may be frightening at first, but it is needed if you are to find the right direction in/of life. It is going to be tough at first, but stay with it. Struggle with it. You can do this! All kinds of ideas are going to come rushing in your mind, dismiss them.

Finally, if you understand that man is not himself until he rests in God, then what is the best manner to rest in the transcendent God other than through silence? Silence lifts before the throne of God the deepest expression that cannot be expressed in words.

That’s probably what St. Paul understood when he exclaimed: “we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (Rom. 8:26). That’s probably what incited St. Thomas Aquinas to see his masterpiece– the Summa Theologiae— as straw. That gives substance to The Psalmist’s cry: “Silence itself is your praise, O God” (Ps. 64). Moreover, the Greco-Romans, Judeo-Christian, and the Eastern tradition are in consonant that we are made for a life of contemplation. How is this possible other than in peaceful silence? Silence is necessary to reach happiness. Aristotle says in Nicomacheans ethics book X that happiness grows out of contemplation, and …wise man practices contemplation. Silence is the great teacher. The more one delves into her oceanic depth the more we can drink to our heart’s content. So if we are to learn the truth, silence is the road to travel. Embrace silence my dear!