It is well said that ‘silence is gold’. And if the old people remain silent it will become even ‘platinum’ which is the most precious metal at present. For me one of the signs of maturity in old age is to remain calm, not jump to response when even requested to give an opinion on any issue. When compelled, then the best way to evade any response is by saying, ‘let me think first; give me time to think’ etc.
But for me this silence is not remaining only in verbal communication but even in the mind. Yes, how much it will be a personal blessing if the mind also remains calm not responding to so many issues in life. Of course it is very difficult to remain silent for a long time, but once we practice, then slowly we can overcome even our mind. I like what Zaidi says about it, ‘…The quiet kills some people because they cannot make peace with their thoughts. But with others, it is a way of life.’( S. Hussain Zaidi, Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of The Mumbai Mafia, New Delhi, Lotus Collection, Roli Books, [2012], 13th Impression, Sep. 2013, p. 240).
How I long to ‘make peace with my thoughts’. And I was very much impressed when I read the following wonderful lines by Rich:
…Adrienne Rich {cited in Joanne Feit- Dehil, ‘Cartographies of Silence: Rich’s Common Language and the Woman Poet’, Feminist Studies 16, No. 3, 1980, p. 539} writes about speaking and silences….
Silence can be a plan
Rigorously executed
The blueprint to a life
It is a presence
It has a history
A form
Do not confuse it
With any kind of absence— Mythily Sivaraman, Fragments of Life: a family memoir, New Delhi, Zubaan, an Imprint of Kali for Women, 2006, p. 198
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