Silence is where intellect and creativity intersect. And silence is where humanity grows, like a seed covered by moss beneath a foot of consumer snow. – ml ’25
We live in a world bombarded with negativity, the last wave of propaganda for a dying oligarchy / capitalism out of control. With any luck, or the arrival of a state of ‘Enough is Enough!’ we will enter an age of post-capitalism.
It’s a radical thought indeed, possibly one that will elicit a stream of oligarchy trolls on my blog, but it is a natural evolution. I believe post-capitalism is inevitable as we zoom pell-mell towards the end of our resources in a world consumed by CO2.
That does not make me a Communist, or a Socialist, but rather a Progressive Realist. I don’t believe in everyone working for ‘the state’ receiving a paycheque from cradle to grave. That would be as detrimental as the society we live in currently. People need to be able to spread their wings, take those risks on ideas they truly believe in, whether it is in the arts, humanities or industry. And from a pragmatic perspective it is these Mom and Pop industries that really drive our economy – not the oligarchic mega-corporations that live on government subsidies (that simply bring blocks of votes to political parties), and exploiting their employees.
It will be interesting, if it comes in my lifetime of course, to see what post-capitalism will look like. Initially it will probably resemble what we see in BuyNothing type groups on social media – shedding our excess baggage of still useful products. Then as the BuyNothings begin to taper off I expect we will see the rise of almost forgotten industries like thatching, hob-building, cottage knitters and weavers, and the like. And quite likely we will see a reduction in mobility, staycations rather than jetting off to Club Med in some far off location. It will also be interesting to see the similarities between post-capitalism and pre-industrial revolution.
For me the biggest change will be silence – the blissful state where mind numbing commercials cease to run across the screen ad nauseum. Gone will be the mass attempts to hit you at the gut level, gone will be the anger provoking / ad generating posts on social media. In a word silence will become thoughtfulness, and with thougthfulness will come empathy; unless that has been completely removed from our psyche.
In the meantime silence is like the drug we don’t realize we need – the ‘Tylenol Extra-Noise’. Silence is what allows us to focus on our own thoughts rather than those who would have us buy the newest and greatest useless widget. Silence is where intellect and creativity intersect. And silence is where humanity grows, like a seed covered by moss beneath a foot of consumer snow.
People are sometimes envious of me working from home, the lack of a commute in our Canadian winters, no thinking about what to wear to the office, what to pack for a lunch or where to go to grab a coffee or snack. And I have to admit it is a great situation, but not for the reasons most think. Working from home affords me the opportunity for silence between the phone calls and blips on MSTeams! In my office there is only the background noise of Miss Frieda click-clicking across the hardwood floor to beg for a cookie (very effective btw!) or the occasional Amazon delivery person ringing the doorbell (when they remember to do so!). Silence allows me to focus, not just on network / server issues but on the bigger picture, spatially and chronologically. Silence is a gift, a tool, necessary to grow in our intellect and our humanity! And it is one I never want to take advantage of lest it be taken away.
For some silence is the enemy, the fear of blank spaces in your thoughts between focusing on minutae. Perhaps it is generations raised on MTV 30 second soundbites and the constant drone of what was once journalism. On a mass scale! You only need to see the weather statements – watches – warning being pumped out by our weather services to feel the underlying fear of a power outage and the silence an ice storm would bring! And in the silence is the space to think, something that is frankly scary to many people.
The Buddhists talk about emptying your mind, literally creating silence between now and the next tick of the clock. In this state silence affords you the opportunity to become aware, to live in the moment and all its’ glory. Our five senses come alive, the smell of the coffee on our desk, that taste of the french roast, little things that are drowned out by the constant noise. We become in a word Alive – if only for the briefest of moments.
I expect those who know me as a motor-mouth might find me craving silence a bit ironic. I talk to communicate and the moments of silence allow me to focus on what I am going to say, and the effect of my communication on others. As my use of this gift improves it is my hope that my sense of humanity will grow.
Silently…
Peace,
Mark
(graphic from Pixabay)