On our trip to Atlantic City, my Dad, Prof. Raman Kolluri and I discussed the topic of "Silence." Hope you enjoy this dialogue!
I. Overture
Raman: Good morning! I greatly enjoyed our weekend visit to Atlantic City.
Surya: I know it is shorthand, but we were in Galloway, slightly north of Atlantic City.
Raman: I see what you mean. We didn’t go gambling!
Surya: It was great digging into the theme of silence.
Raman: (smiling) As we discussed, silence is not always as simple as it sounds.
Surya: That’s exactly the point. I thought silence was just the absence of noise. Turns out, listening to you,it’s anything but that!
Raman: Shall we check on the coffee before we tackle the universe?
Surya: Absolutely.
II. Disturbance Everywhere
Raman: You see, the dictionary defines silence as absence of sound. But even if we don’t hear anything, disturbances are happening everywhere.
Surya: Disturbance even in stillness. Like microscopic oscillations?
Raman: Exactly. Atoms vibrate. Electrons move. Even in crystals, there are acoustic modes oscillating quietly. Silence, absolute silence, is practically impossible unless you reach absolute zero; and even then, it’s theoretical.
Surya: Like asymptotically approaching zero, but never quite getting there.
Raman: Correct. And these disturbances are not just sound. Light waves, molecular motion — they’re all happening, often beyond human perception.
Surya: That’s interesting. It makes me wonder… is silence not just a physical phenomenon, but something deeper?
Raman: That’s where the mind enters the picture.
III. The Mind’s Noise
Surya: You said that daily occurrences create disturbances in the mind; thoughts as subtle noises.
Raman: Yes. Thoughts are a kind of internal agitation. Each event, each worry, each plan creates ripples in the mind.
Surya: So, one can imagine the pursuit of inner silence is akin to quieting a restless lake.
Raman: A good metaphor. And much like physical silence, perfect mental silence may be impossible. But moving toward it is worthwhile.
Surya: Like “darshan” — the more silent the mind, the clearer its perception.
Raman: Exactly. With effort, one might perceive the substratum beneath all agitation.
IV. Science, Sound, and Light
Surya: I loved your linkage between physical phenomena and silence. Like, sound waves needing a medium to travel, but light waves not needing one.
Raman: Yes. Light, being electromagnetic, propagates even in a vacuum. Sound, on the other hand, needs air, water, or some medium.
Surya: And the comparison to color was beautiful. The pigments in flowers absorb specific frequencies and reflect others. Thus, we see colors depending on what’s left behind.
Raman: indeed, the universe is full of selective absorption.
Surya: And I gather that every material, through its resonance, is humming in its own inaudible way?
Raman: You could say the whole universe is a silent symphony.
V. Substratum
Surya: I was also thinking about the connection between silence and being. If disturbances exist everywhere, what is the silence we are heading toward?
Raman: It’s not a void, not “nothingness,” but perhaps the ground from which everything arises.
Surya: That reminds me of the old Sanskrit phrase — Sat Chit Ananda — existence, consciousness, and bliss.
Raman: (nodding) It’s hinted at, but I refrain from drawing religious or metaphysical conclusions
Surya: Still, you suggest the wonder of it, that perhaps silence isn’t the absence of being, but its purest form.
Raman: Nicely put.
VI. Reflections
Surya: it occurs to me that minimizing external vibrations is useful, but it’s internal stillness that matters more.
Raman: True. Noise outside matters less than noise inside.
Surya: Another observation: both heat and sound arise from movement. So, perhaps silence is akin to the deepest cold, absolute zero.
Raman: A fascinating parallel.
Surya: And time itself is linked to motion. Without change, could time even exist?
Raman: These are deep waters!
VII. Kant and Pragmatism
Surya: Speaking of deep waters, let’s bring Kant into the discussion. His “tragic reason” , that we are fated to seek ultimate answers even if they remain forever beyond our grasp.
Raman: Kant appears to have been right. We long to understand the whole, but are limited to what our senses and minds can organize.
Surya: Yet, paradoxically, it’s this longing that gives meaning to our quest.
Raman: Wonder itself is a form of wisdom.
Surya: We may not grasp ultimate truth, but we live it nonetheless.
Raman: Which brings us to a very human truth, which is, silence may be unattainable, but its pursuit brings clarity, humility, and even joy.
VIII. Summary
Raman: So, what shall we conclude?
Surya: That silence isn’t a blank. It’s a presence. A foundation on which disturbances, colors, sounds, and thoughts dance.
Raman: And moving toward inner silence, however asymptotically is one of the great journeys of life.
Surya: It is wondrous to contemplate that beyond all the layers of motion and noise, something enduring and profound might exist.
Raman: Shall we toast to that?
Surya: (raising his coffee mug) To the silence beneath all things.
Raman: And many more trips to Atlantic City, ….. er ……., Galloway!
Post Script: In the years that have passed, we have done our yearly trips to Atlantic City and are 26 years and counting!
