The sound of silence

The sound of silence
Magazine: February 2008

In his chaotic life, the chance to pause and sit in silence has become almost impossible. Yet it is an indispensable step towards turning inwards and listening to our senses. Finding silence may seem like a Titanic feat, but we have an ally, our own brain. In fact our mind knows the importance of silence and searches for it with automatic refl exes that make us close our eyes when, for example, we taste a chocolate. Our senses are the fi rst real contact with the ambient around us. If we sip a glass of Brunello while our thoughts wander we don’t fully experience the magic that this wine can give us. If our mind is elsewhere, the senses are not so receptive. To rediscover the power of taste we shouldn’t limit ourselves to closing the eyes, we also have to try to close the mind to worries and rediscover the pleasure of sitting quietly with ourselves. Only then can we truly enjoy life.