Unplugged: Rediscovering Inner Silence

Our world is chaotic. There are constant demands for our attention: phones, work, friends, family, social media, advertisements, you name it. Everything around us seems to be screaming for our attention.

So what do we do?

We give everything our attention. We juggle all these demands like professional performers, trying to keep everyone and everything satisfied. But somewhere along the way, in this exhausting act of giving attention, we forget to give attention to ourselves.

In fact, I’d argue we often avoid ourselves by staying endlessly busy.

“I’d argue we often avoid ourselves by staying endlessly busy.”

Modern life has made it incredibly easy to escape from our inner world. There’s always a distraction within reach. Think about it: a hundred years ago, commuting meant spending time mostly with your thoughts. Sure, there were surroundings and fellow travelers, but for the most part, you were simply with yourself.

When was the last time you commuted in silence? No podcast, no music, no video call, no scrolling, just you, moving through the world?

For many of us, it’s been a long time. When I look around during my travels, I see a world full of earphones and bowed heads, people disconnected from their surroundings. I used to be one of them. Every commute was filled with sound: music, podcasts, audiobooks. It felt efficient. I calculated it once: 40 minutes a day, five days a week, well over three hours of potential learning per week. So, I filled those hours with knowledge.

And it wasn’t wasted. I did learn things. I listened to books I otherwise wouldn’t have. But it came at a price I didn’t recognize until something unexpected happened.

One day, my phone broke: every modern person’s nightmare. No music, no podcasts, no escape. I had no choice but to walk in silence.

“No music, no podcasts, no escape. I had no choice but to walk in silence.”

At first, I felt uneasy. I hadn’t done this in years. But as I continued, something shifted. I began to notice the world again. The trees. Birds singing. Bees humming. And most of all, I noticed people: most of them completely absorbed in their devices, missing the moment.

By the time I arrived at work, I felt calm. So calm, that I didn’t want the commute to end. Instead of going inside, I took another walk, just ten more minutes of being fully present. I absorbed the sights and sounds. And I asked myself: how did I miss this for so long?

Two days later, my phone was fixed. The distractions were ready and waiting. The next morning, I put my earphones in and pressed play. But something felt off. I missed the silence. I missed nature. I missed being there.

So, I turned off the audiobook, took out my earphones, and slipped them into my pocket.

I was reconnecting with my surroundings.

And above all, I was reconnecting with myself. I was rediscovering my inner silence.

“I was reconnecting with myself. I was rediscovering my inner silence.”

Nowhere to run. Nothing to do. Just the quiet presence of being.

Have you discovered your inner silence? When was the last time you were truly alone with yourself?