As we listen to the stories of the mystics and sages who have embraced silence as a beloved, we learn that silence is not passive, alienated, or lifeless. Within its depths is found an abundance of energy, creativity, love and wisdom. The sages do not return from the deserts and mountaintops dysfunctional, depressed, or indifferent, but with profound patience, tolerance, and commitment to transformation. Silence, it seems, is not a surrender of personal freedom. It is the place where we connect with our deepest values and discover freedom within our own heart. Silence is not even the opposite of speech but a way to find the truths that need to be spoken and a way of speaking them so that they can be heard.
— Christina Feldman, Silence