Have some quiet and know what really matters in life

"In The Sphere of Silence"
By Vijay Eswaran
RYHM Publishing House, HK, 2004


We begin the New Year with a bang, but this book wants us to begin each new day of the year, not with a bang, but in silence.
Is this one of those books meant for cloistered life, or one that nurtures the soul of the recluse? No, it is written for CEOs, other executive and consultants in the midst of a dizzying workaday life.
Is this one of those contemplative or escapist books addressed to those who want to get away permanently from the workaday world, run to the sanctuary of the monastery – and yes, miles away from the arena where the action is? No. this book is, in fact, written by a top global executive presiding over a conglomerate that is into large-scale online marketing, aggressive distribution, unrelenting innovation and strategic entry into new business.
“The sphere of silence,” says author Vijay Eswaran, “is a rest for the tongue, the single most worked-out organ in the whole body.” The Scriptures call this “taming the tongue.” Mother Teresa, quoted in the book says: “In the silence of the heart, God speaks.”
Actually, the book recommends to managers and other people with bias for action to begin the day with a one-hour quiet time. A time for quietude opens the heart – and the mind – to what is essential.
That brings to mind another slim book – now a classic – “The Little Prince,” where one quote has become unforgettable: “What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Herein lies the reason why this book by Eswaran is a real find. It brings us back to what is truly fundamental (not in a political or religious sense) – or essential. In a world of too many words – and thus noise – a book comes like a whiff of fresh wind.
In this nicely designed book – less rhetoric, elegant interplay of fonts and white space – the form truly captures the substance. The author’s sayings are pithy, and have a ring of the elemental to them. Perhaps, that really happens when you have an hour of silence each day. Consider this powerful metaphor:
“Thought, word, deed. The thought is the arrow; the word which carries your thoughts, the bow; the action which releases the arrow, the pull of the string.” The syntax captures the measured cadence of a guru speaking – where pauses and silences are part of the message.
It’s true that when you shut out the world – turn off the radio, switch off the ubiquitous TV, ask the housemaid to keep quiet for a change, and then close the door – there are only two begins left to deal with in silence: yourself and the Divine. Then, it’s reflection time.
“Know thyself,” says the Greek philosopher. Eswaran is more contemporary with this pithy sentences: “Take your life back. Dedicate one hour out of 24 and you get 23 back in your control.” Spoken like an executive – with a difference. He has the gift of brevity and clarity.
The handy book, running into 120 pages, is an easy read. The author’s saying, edited and transcribed by Gemma Luz Corotan, deals with practical issues like anger, war, learning, courage, doing your job, and a host of other daily concerns. And yet he speaks of them in their simplest form whence comes principles.
As they say, when you teach principles, your students will take care of the techniques. It begins with the principle of silence, and from such center of quiet will emerge the power of focus, clarity and, yes, wisdom. Many leaders of whatever creed and persuasion, when led to silence, came upon a central truth that first changed their lives – and then transformed a nation.
Of late, books have come into the scene and continues to change or enrich lives. The bestseller, “Purpose Driven Life,” has crossed religious boundaries to be a handy practical guide to people.
This book – which draws wisdom from the wellspring of a variety of philosophical and religious thought – may yet quench the thirst for something that touches the heart, or the desire for essential principles that make sense or create order in this topsy-turvy world. For that alone, this book deserves to be at your bedside at night, or at your desk by day.