The Invisible Mentor

Listening for the Sound of Silence

May 25th, 2009 |

Have you ever listened for and to the sound of silence? What does silence sound like? On Saturday, I did just that. I escaped to a conservation park to listen for and to the sound of silence. Can one truly experience silence in a major metropolitan city such as Toronto?

I sit on the steps to meditate, and be at one with nature. I was the only person in the park because it’s hidden, and I suspect that even though it’s beside the Rosedale Subway Station, most people do not know that it’s there. I accidentally found this park about five years ago. During the hour that I was there I saw four people walk by, two walking their dog and two cyclists (one of which was riding down the steep steps).

Sound Of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel (live sound)

If you cannot view this YouTube video, please click here.

What did I hear and see while I sat down?

Trains go click clack on the rails, black birds in flight, branches sway to the gentle rhythm of the breeze, a black squirrel scurries about looking for food, and though I couldn’t see them, many different species of birds perform a requiem, singing their hearts out, like they know that they have an audience.

The Path of Life

The Sky Is Indeed The Limit

Things Are Seldom As They Seem

Fallen Tree

Nature At Its Finest

The Bigger Picture

I get up and explore, soaking in the here and now. I see what looks like a beautiful healthy tree and head that way to take a photo. I realize that things are seldom what they seem. The tree is healthy now, but will not be for long because it’s a fallen tree.

How often do we stop to see, if we are really seeing what we are seeing, or hearing what we are hearing? Perhaps silence now has a new definition: the natural sounds of the environment. Being in the here and now is an exercise in becoming more focused. How could your life improve if you were always aware of what’s going on in your environment? Take a look at the photos I took in the conservation park, what do you see? If you could attach a sound to the scene in the photos, what sounds would you hear?

Take a moment to listen for and to the sound of silence!

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Photo Credits: Avil Beckford

Video Credit: Sound Of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel, Uploaded by Hamp32 on Feb 8, 2007