TONYE COLE: WHERE DOES SILENCE RESIDE?

From the moment dawn breaks and ones eyes open to the sound of whatever mechanism roused us from the depth of slumber, we are enmeshed in a cacophony of sounds that conspire to tell one is alive while robbing them of any solitude that life may offer. In Africa’s megacities, car horns blare, bus conductors shout their intended destinations, hawkers and traders advertise their wares at the top of their voices and those who fight fight while those who just want to get by do so. The radio and TV transmit whatever catches their fancy for the moment, phones constantly on the move and everywhere you go someone seems to be saying something or the other.

In such an environment, noise it seems is everywhere and all around making the value of silence and the price paid for solitude a precious treasure to pursue. It was therefore with some level of anticipation that I walked into the sauna and steam rooms, where the only sound that penetrated was that of rising steam and very soft calming classical music. As my pores opened up and sweat poured down my body, I settled into the art of medication, blocking out the sounds around me. The rush of blood coursing through my veins became the primary sound at the center of my being as silence descended upon my soul.

Our God is the Lord of The Sabbath, a day He set aside as Holy where rest, meditation and reflection is commanded. A day whereupon completing the work of Creation, He stepped back and rested setting the example for mankind to follow. As I embraced the essence of silence and my mind settled into a state of rest, I felt a sense of weightlessness develop as my spirit was drawn upwards to a luminous bright light. Time seemed to take an elastic quality but the strangest discovery was where my thoughts settled, not on worry, work or money but on God, Love and Purpose. In silence it seems, the

deepest and purest of our thoughts resides. May the Lord help us find silence today.