A thought on Quiet isn’t always Peace

“We learnt that Quiet isn’t always Peace”.

If I am quiet, it may be that I am exhausted.
If I am quiet, it may be that I have too much to say. But, I don’t have the energy to say it.
If I am quiet, it may be I have nothing to say.
If I am quiet, it may be I have too much to say. But, I know it will fall on deaf ears. Or, it will not be understood. Or it might cause a negative reaction even though the intention is good.

If I stay quiet, it might be that I am exhausted from a hard day’s work.
If I am quiet, it might be I am tired from doing nothing all day long.
If I am quiet, it might be drained from the continual chatter of my mind and thoughts, that are driving me mad with worry and fear.
Suppose, I sit in peaceful meditation. Quiet and silent on the face of it. But, inside a turmoil of the days, pain is unfolding.

True peace, true quiet is known when I learn to let go, forget and apply a full stop immediately to any wasteful or painful thought.

To apply a brake of peace and quiet daily, several times a day, will create a strong automatic habit.

This will ensure that “quiet” always means “peace” and contentment, with a sprinkle of wisdom and maturity.

Note: I wanted to write this post for a few years now and I somehow never got round to it. But when Amanda Gorman recited her poem The Hill We Climb on Wednesday 20th Jan 2021 at Joe Biden’s inauguration. I was reminded instantly when she said “We learnt that Quiet isn’t always Peace”. It is such a powerful line and there is more depth to it than I share in my poem (she may have meant the quiet before the storm, it could be a reference to Jan 6 2021, there are lots of meanings to this line).

Do comment below what it means to you.