Life is loud. Quiet is important. Quiet requires cultivation.
a cacophony of life
“The effect of life in society is to complicate and confuse our existence, making us forget who we really are by causing us to become preoccupied with what we are not.”
Zhuangzi-300We are born into cacophony from our first crying breath to our last dying gasp. We live in an interconnected world with countless other entities, each of which generates inputs that flood our perception through incredible sensory organs. We see, hear, smell, taste, and feel a vibrant world. We are well-attuned to these signals, constructing our representation of reality and acting accordingly to survive and prosper.
Collecting these inputs is clearly important. Our survival depends on accurately knowing what is happening around us. Hidden in the cacophony is a beautiful, informative symphony key to our well-being.
But what of quiet? What about the absence of input?
The importance of quiet
“Let us be silent, that we may hear the whisper of the gods.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson1841Quiet is uncommon in our dynamic world. There is usually some rustling of leaves, peripheral movement, curious scent, gossiping amongst the group. Quiet is peace - the absence of activity. When it is quiet, there is no immediate threat or need. Quiet is independence. When it is quiet, nothing is pressing upon you.
Beyond indicating peace, does quiet matter in and of itself? If our goal is to acquire signal from our surroundings, construct an accurate representation of reality, and act to secure survival and prosperity, is there any value in pausing that process?
A cow or bird likely does not have much use for quiet. They live more simply in the space of stimulus and response. In the absence of stimulus is naught. Quiet is a moment of respite from a life of toil but ultimately unproductive.
Man however thinks and dwells in the minds. Life is a cognitive castle we construct from within. When there are inputs, we attend to them as other creatures do. But when are are no inputs, we may attend to ourselves. We may introspect, synthesize, plan, think, redirect our focus, listen to our own voice, or seek the muse; we are afforded the opportunity to breathe.
Inspiration does not strike while chasing a gazelle. Strategy does not reshape itself while escaping a predator. We do not discover who we truly are during idle banter. In quiet moments however, we can stop focusing on the outside world and turn our thinking back in on itself. We can generate new ideas beyond immediate circumstance and in doing so alter the trajectory of our lives. We are distinct and privileged in being able to so utilize quiet, yet we often neglect to do so.
Cultivating quiet
“Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul.”
Marcus Aureliusc. 170The world is noisy, and unless we actively create space, quiet never arrives and we will forever be battered around rather than self-directed. There will always be external stimuli, matters from without. By its nature, every external stimuli is a bid for your attention, declaring itself urgent. However, not every issue at hand is important. Less urgent though still important are the matters internal to the mind as discussed: the ones that shape focus, direction, and life over the long term; the ones that learn, create, and problem-solve; that ones that only bloom during periods of quiet.
By default, as one individual in an enormously crowded environment, we will be inundated by external stimuli. It's simple arithmetic. But luckily as man, we have agency - space between action and reaction. We can silence the noise. We can create space to think. We can cultivate quiet.
How does one cultivate quiet? Simply remove noise. Invert the norm. The man-made world is noisy; seek stillness in nature. Socialization is loud; embrace solitude. Sounds, light, smells, tastes, touch, and the sensations distract; focus the mind away from the physical and in on the mental, in on itself. Remove inputs to better hear what's within, for in a head to head battle the cacophony of the world will always wins. But to live the life truest to yourself, we must help quiet occasionally prevail.