How Rumi's Introspective Silence Can Teach Us A Lot in These Artificial Times
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
28 June
2022
Whether
It's A News Channel, Portal, Newspaper Or Any Medium, It's Often A Gush Of
Thoughtless Words
Main
Points:
1. Too many
words have eclipsed, nay engulfed, thoughts and thoughts sprout from the seeds
of silence
2. Words give
you a temporary euphoria but silence gives you eternal bliss.
3. Your
intelligent silence can save many lives.
------
This is how it always is when I finish a poem. A great silence overcomes
me and I wonder why I ever thought to use language.
Rumi
There is a way between voice and presence, where information flows. In disciplined
silence it opens; with wandering talk it closes.
Rumi
Rumi's
aforementioned quotes on silence have always moved me beyond words. These are
not mere quotes but didactic lessons to be learnt from a great sage's
unfathomable well of nous.
At this moment,
when the world has become so boisterous, humans need
introspective/contemplative silence. Too many words have eclipsed, nay
engulfed, thoughts and thoughts sprout from the seeds of silence. Whether it's
a news channel, portal, newspaper or any medium, it's often a gush of
thoughtless words. There's a new controversy or incident every day just because
we've no control on our words. We've become too voluble. This volubility has
become our liability. Now more than ever do we all need silence to understand
our humane side and avoid all inanities that have obscured our true selves.
Rumi
further says in one of his Masnavis that words give you a temporary
euphoria but silence gives you eternal bliss. “Hurt by my beloved's words, I
chose silence to answer “(Rumi to Shams Tabriz). Had Nupur Sharma chosen to
keep mum, she'd not have had to see this upheaval and global turmoil, caused by
her impulsive reply. Even Muhammad says in one of his dubious and plagiarised
Hadees (I already read this in the Assyrian Book of Wisdom, predating Islam by
minimum three centuries): Your intelligent silence can save many lives.
We all have an itch to blurt it out as most of
us are motor-mouths. Seldom, if ever, are we bothered about the (dire)
consequences our thoughtless words can cause. Psychologists believe that we
often speak because we've nothing better to say or think. So, whatever garbage
we've on our mind is poured out through the most inane words or lifeless
symbols, read emojis in current context of conversation.
People have
become so impoverished from the perspective of words that in this age of social
media, whenever someone dies, thousands of most stupid RIP messages flood your
screen. Instead of writing simple ' my deepest condolences to the bereaved
family,' brainless people routinely write 'May his 'soul' Rest in Peace.' No
one knows what happens when one dies. It's the END. So, why should people use a
litany of useless, perfunctory and monotonous words like rest in peace and
soul?
Our
religious proclivity to use PBUH (peace be upon him) also suffers from this
Volubility Syndrome. Rumi says, “When someone departs, I say nothing. Two
pearls silently roll down my cheeks." And here, people are wishing the
departed person to rest in peace! Where? Do you've any sense and significance
of the words you're using?
Recently,
an 'educated' lady wrote: May his soul rip! I wanted to add 'apart' to it, but
refrained, lest it should be called Black Humour. I generally never say or
write anything when one's no more because I know that mere words cannot justify
a genuine sense of sorrow, loss and sadness. Ergo, there's no need to jump onto
the bandwagon of professional mourners and Rudalis.
So, it's
time to exercise silence, meditative silence at that and try to make this world
a tad less chaotic and vociferous.
----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to world's premier publications in several languages
including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/rumi-introspective-silence-artificial-times/d/127342
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