Opening through Silence

Abstract

Silence, an intangible something, through silencing creates, reveals, and transforms. It provides a space to examine psychological well-being as it removes the anchor tethering us to the temporal existence of our logical mind. From silence comes sound, and from sound silence. Neither mutually exclusive, sound and silence co-create one another, inextricably bound together through intentional force. The artistic expression of silence, as both ephemeral and ambiguous, allows for a personal transformative experience of opening to an authentic self. Music holds the power to envelop us within its sensorial embrace, enabling emotions to swell to the surface thereby creating a pause where self-revealment becomes possible. Existentialist ideology suggests the innate terror of nihilism clouds the human psyche, giving credence to our fear of non-existence. However, failure to leave the external noise and enter the silence between the notes resorts in a disillusionment of being, where the false self will ultimately crumble under the pressure to maintain its façade. Between the notes fosters introspection, allows an opening to well-being. It is here, in that silent space, that the authentic self can be discovered.