Silence

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!