I’ve never met any of you before. And yet here I stand. In front of many paths, cultures, fears and desires. Looking back I see my life as a dream. Some kind of rare species that I somehow have taken part of. I’ve willfully disconnected myself from the accolades and the titles, to see if I can fulfill just one stubborn inquire ruling my subconscious. Who am I? The soul begs, and yet I keep starving it. Covering it with breadcrumbs. I’ve traveled roads I never knew I’d ever step on. I’ve flirted with death many times. I’ve weeped, hurt, laughed, sung, searched, lived, screamed. Not once, not twice. But what feels like many lifetimes.

Today, I don’t know what to say. All I can think of is silence. Beyond the surface of any generic, feel-good statement, that’s where my heart aims to dive. It’s not about the words we say, it’s not even about the things we do. We’ve got plenty of speakers and doers, yet that seems to be the reason why our world lies upside down.

I’m here because of silence. Because we know very little of it. Because our brains won’t shut up. And we think the answers lie in the “talking,” the noise, the clutter. Maybe our beliefs have betrayed us. Maybe we don’t have the answers to anything because our search is limited by our biases. By our refusal to silence.

Through all this diving into the apparent truths of our humanity, only one stands the test of time: the sound of silence. Disturbed and uncomfortable in my own skin, paralyzed in a soundless vacuum, I realize this is the sliver my soul’s been seeking. It’s the flower my heart aims to smell. A little moment of silence is the real gold. It doesn’t mean our laughter and talking won’t make flowers bloom, but even laughter needs a break.

Our brains want the chatter, they think the chatter makes us smarter, sassier, stronger, attractive. Yet if we zoom out, we’re all running around chasing tails. There’s an essence that thrives in silence. A type of music we haven’t trained our ears for. Something we must plunge into and simply surrender. I can’t verbally say what it is, because it lies in the nothingness so this won’t make much sense to you. But it’s the gold our souls seek.

There, little sparks of truth will become evident. Your subconscious will sprout and push forth tiny fragments of a bigger puzzle. And you’ll see, and feel, taste, smell and hear the music of the heavens, awaiting to guide you to the stars; if only you lose yourself to the sound of silence. That’s the real meaning of life; to have to courage to plunge and face our unknown. Move beyond our physicality and spend some time with the biggest mystery of all; the force that keeps our hearts beating and all our bodily systems running. Listen to the sound of silence.