Imagine…Silence

Turn the light off
there’s a light on in your heart
so let it be your guidance, guidance!
Open up your mouth if what you say
could be more beautiful than silence
~ K’naan – More beautiful than silence

Imagine…that silence was a part of our culture’s etiquette, just like saying “Please” and “Thank you”.

Imagine…that it was silence that was considered polite, rather than the small talk that forces us to share details of our lives with our neighbour, hairdresser or colleague.

Imagine…that it was considered perfectly natural to say “I don’t feel like talking right now” or “I don’t want to answer your question”.

Imagine…that wanting to go for a walk on your own in silence was as normal as wanting to go for dinner with friends.

Imagine…only speaking to share something valuable or important with our interlocutor.

Imagine…being able to ask a colleague not to disturb us for an hour or an afternoon, because we need silence to concentrate on our work.

Imagine…switching off everything that makes a noise: telephone, email alert, oven timer, radio, GPS…

Imagine…being able to hear what is going on inside, rather than outside.