Walking silence

When I walk through noisy city streets with the occasional siren, the roar of traffic, bells from trams and squeal from flanged wheels, noisy conversation I find it quite easy to achieve an inner silence. Using the analogy of Pythagoras I become an onlooker to the threads of busy interwoven lives. I can feel silent, walk mindfully feeling the move of body and noticing the interplay of light and the varied tones and timbres of the ambient noise. In a cafe i might strain to hear conversation but noise can be diminished.

By contrast walking in the silence of the Belair national park with the dog or quiet suburban rainswept streets my thoughts plague me like white noise, truly aggravating as worries, fears and desires crowd my awareness. In the city the noise holds my internal silence. In external silence my internal noise seems to shriek out. Good to note, good to reflect upon and another opportunity to investigate the lived experience of noise and silence within my subjectivity.