Silence

In today's world there is so much noise and so much activity.  Most people don't "stop to smell the roses" or listen to the birds chirp or the grass grow.  Do you remember camping when you fell asleep to the crackling of a fire and the rustling of forest animals?  Not only is it not quiet in our environment, sitting in silence, or just being quiet, is a lost art.  So many times our thoughts are like roaring river rapids rather than a calm lake.  When everything around us is quiet, or we try to sit in silence, our thinking seems to get in the way, and most of the time because it is unpleasant or negative, we turn on music or the TV, or simply do something else.  How many times are we really still and just listen?  Stillness can be so tranquil, but it takes practice to soothe our minds and reach a place of quiescence, or being at peace with ourselves and the rest of the world.  Why is it that so many people feel uncomfortable with the silence?  I have written about about living in the here and now and I believe this is an example of not doing that.  Because human beings think one thought after another and have trouble calming their minds, being quiet, or sitting in silence, requires patience and practice.  If one is sitting in silence praying or meditating, or just simply resting in the present moment, there are no problems.  It is only our thoughts that take us there and those are of past and future and invested in self, and anything invested in one's self is problematic because it involves the ego.