Which is it.. the unrelenting pursuit of Knowledge or of Wealth that drives us? In many respects there seems to be a link. Generally speaking, the more knowledge you have of a subject the more ‘in demand’ you are for that particular skill and correspondingly the higher the potential to gain wealth from it. Isn’t this why we put our children through school and college/university? Isn’t this why we put even ourselves through these institutions (often for the 2nd or 3rd time) just so that we can get ahead?

Well I’m here to tell a converse story. The intelligent woman doesn’t spend her life acquiring information, she spends it recognising that it’s already there! All of it! Yes.. all knowledge is available to all of us, not only the privileged few. The catch is that it requires awareness, and let me state emphatically that the majority of the human race is unaware. Spending all your time in front of a talking box (TV) is not awareness, it is a distraction.. pure and simple. Awareness is heightened with that simple tool silence. Silence can be experienced in a number of ways, primarily meditation.. but you do not need to be some sort of spiritual guru to experience it, you simply need to be still.

Those who have the guts to sit down in silence and hear their own thoughts will be quite surprised at some of the garbage which has been floating around up there (if you believe the mind is in the head of course). With practise, this discipline (like any other in life) produces some interesting results. Once stresses and thoughts have subsided, something starts to happen.. pure conciousness becomes the focus and in this point of pure consciousness you can place any question about any subject, and before your very eyes.. or shall we say to your very self will the answers be presented. Of course, don’t take my word for it.. be as critical as you want but remember you can never have an accurate perception of an event if you never try it, no matter what anybody tells you about it. And don’t tell me either that it takes somebody a week to learn the guitar or learn a software package.. because it doesn’t.. I know!

Interestingly, most world religions in their purer form have taught of this little life secret through the ages. Psalm 46:10 in the Bible notes, “Be still and know that I am God”. Mark 1:35 ; Mark 6:45-46 and Luke 4:42 also echo the need Jesus had for silence.  At this point I would like to point out that I advocate no religion in particular but instead all of them, yet my knowledge of them is limited so I welcome any additions to this list or corrections to the texts themselves. Ancient Hindu texts known as sutras talk of Dhyana and Pratyahara which mean meditation and withdrawal(of the senses) respectively.

My own personal experimentations on this matter reveal much creativity and answers when silence is experienced. [TBC]

How incredibly hard it is to find this precious commodity! Have you ever wondered why we need to sleep? The common answer is because we need rest. Personally I don’t buy that. In silence we return to an aspect of the true source of all power, the one source of all creation.. where we let go of stimulation from the senses and for several hours every night experience the deep peace of our souls. Woaaah Ryan, that’s a pretty weird claim you’ve got going there. Yeah? Prove me wrong! Many scientists are still studying this age-old necessity and have not come up with definitive answers. If there’s one thing I have learnt in life.. nothing is what it seems. I take most things these days with a grain of salt.. especially scientific conclusions.

It has been well documented that sleep deprivation causes dysfunction of the body/mind and results in such effects as paranoia. This author has experienced this first hand, and in meditation has found an answer in the power of silence. I say again.. how incredibly hard it is find this precious commodity! I take a step back from everyday earthly existence and notice that the only time it’s truly available to me is in the evenings. We live in a society of noise addiction.. the unbelievably ugly noise of starting up a car or angry motorists hooting in traffic.. or perhaps the yapping of a colleague throughout the day bringing full circle the meaningless of office politics. Whatever it is, we are addicts.. this is clear.

So here’s a challenge: grab a pair of earplugs, switch off your tv in the evening, close your door, switch off the light, shut the hell up and listen to the sound of silence. Simon and Garfunkel weren’t kidding, there’s really something there.. it’s just we’re too distracted to sit and listen. My guess is, the majority who even try this exercise will give up a few minutes in, because they have been life trained to do something instead of just sitting and listening. Sitting in silence after all is just a waste of time now isn’t it? Seriously, if that’s your take, then go back to the idle entertainment you can’t do without.. but maybe I’ve underestimated you, maybe just maybe you have the guts to stick it out and experience the experience of silence. But remember, silence is silence.. silence is not you listening to a soft melody in the background or the constant hum of vehicles in the air because you live by the freeway ( in which case you’re probably shit out of luck).

I would love to hear from people who’ve tried this for say a month and have learnt some things from the process. I have learnt an absolute ton from my own experiences. One of the most important epiphanies being the attention of bigger issues into focus, forcing you to deal with instead of hiding them under an almost perpetual carpet of noise. Silence is one of the most overlooked secrets in mastering your life. They don’t say

Silence is Golden

for nothing.. now do they?