We tend to look for fulfillment outside ourselves. Through the opinions of others. Through material possessions. Through promotions at work, etc. We forget to turn back to ourselves. To go within.
We run from ourselves. We create a false self. One that will fit in with the other false selfs we meet in the world. We get sucked into the world’s noise. We get seduced by it. And we get seduced by our own thoughts. We fall into traps of negative thinking, over-thinking, over-planning, and over-confidence.
We also get sucked into other people’s drama, fears, greed, and expectations of us. The latter is a big one — as the world runs on expectations. What people think of us, is often the most important thing to us.
We want to be respected and we want to fit in. It’s a survival instinct. And we want to matter. But we forget that fitting in is not the most important thing. And that fitting in is as likely to get us in trouble as it is to benefit us.
Finding time for silence is essential to our well-being. We need to eliminate distractions from our daily life, otherwise we won’t be ourselves. We’ll be disturbed, confused, frustrated, anxious, inauthentic, and easily mislead.
We tend to run from silence, because that’s where we come face to face with our problems. It’s easier to do something more entertaining. There’s no shortage of things to distract us from the sobering reality silence can provide. But by avoiding silence, we miss out on something special.
Silence is a great teacher. Silence helps us be more aware of how we’re feeling. To be aware of our negative thought patterns. To recognize holes in our character. To see ourselves as part of the bigger picture. To be reminded of what’s truly important. To stop searching for peace and love in the wrong places.