shhhhhh...

why are people afraid of silence? in essence it is everywhere. behind all of the craziness of life is pure stillness. pure silence. it is the root of life. so why is it something we fear? i think that there are two kinds of silence. solitary silence, and the silence of plurality. both difficult to master, and each for it's own reasons. silence in plurality seems to be taboo in our culture. as though you are breaking a cultural norm by sitting in a room with someone and not participating in an asinine conversation. why must we do it? can't we just bask in the silence of friendship? do two people have to carry on a conversation to make a friendship work? it seems to me that once you reach a level of comfort with a person, then just being near them should be enough. although this can be a bit difficult to master, especially if one can not master solitary silence. this is perhaps the worst of all the silences. this is removing all outside stimuli and forcing oneself to be alone with their thoughts. i suppose in remote reaches of the world where technology has not yet bridged the silence gap, this is easier to attain, and is thrown into your face more forcefully. but in the land of stereo's, iPOD's, cell phones; we have all but eliminated solitary silence. now one must seek it out; must be intentional about spending time with one's own thoughts. maybe that is part of the reason why the island state of vanuatu is currently ranked as the happiest country in the world. maybe they have learned to enjoy the stillness and silence of companionship. when will the rest of the world?