The Art of Mindful Silence: Seeking Silence in a Noisy World

Tiempo de Mirar

by Adam Ford

Seeking Silence in a Noisy World explores our existential search for mindful solitude. It examines the creative power of silence as a source of inner strength and self-knowledge and shows us how we can all find moments of soothing peace to nourish our spirits in an increasing chaotic world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Personal Growth

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Aletheia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had all the makings of a great book... an alluring cover, a fascinating name. Unfortunately I can't say the same for its content. I had to force myself to finish this book, which, thank god, was only 141 pages.

I liked the fanciful, descriptive writing in places, but sometimes it just got too much with ridiculous words like "discombomulated" scattered in places. Otherwise, this book seemed to be completely anti-content. The sections in the book always finished abruptly, leaving the impression that the author had no more to say. It's a wonder how he managed to make it to 141 pages.

The only content rich comment in the entire book which captivated me was the small statement "true silence is an inner thing" (pp.131) Everything else seemed banal, and choppy.

This book is a good example of "don't judge a book by its cover"...because sometimes the content really sucks.

[Fe · Rating 3 out of 5]

bought in scotland hiking the west highland way in 2018 so emotional plus points

really liked some parts, others were too generalised or vaguely broached. a nice quick read and included some book recommendations that i definitely want to check out but not life changing. will read over my favourite supchapters again for sure

[Johanna Hilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came to me at a point when I was about to leave behind a life in a city and embark on an adventure into the absence of human traffic, in the middle of the woods. I was attracted essentially by the visual beauty of the book, and I was not expecting it to be a very profound read. Nevertheless, I was happily surprised. Reading this book in the evenings right before going to bed was a very soothing activity. Ford describes the essence of seeking silence as a practice, and many different ways of how us humans go on about it. He sites a number of important philosophers and traditions without going to length about anything in particular.

"With the absence of anything to hear, in the hot stillness of the desert, we begin to notice a continuous swish, difficult to describe - the rushing and singing sound of our own blood coursing through our veins. I sometimes wonder if it was this mysterious sound that encouraged Pythagoras, the early Greek mathematician and mystic, to invent his theory of the music of the spheres."

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but was reading it on the train to and from work which was rather ironic really! I agree with the other reviewer who said that often sections seemed to end prematurely and it would have been nice if some of the points he was making had been explored further. Overall I felt that I got something from this book but felt that in places ideas could have been explored in greater depth.

[Amal · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is a good, fast read that gives you an interesting insight on the concept of silence. written beautifully and simply and presented in a way that makes it very quick and easy to read. this book reinforced my belief about how silence is the actual background of our lives, and yet it's the thing some of us need most but are oblivious to or afraid of it.

there are lots of anecdotes in it. some of which i'm familiar to from the Osho books i've read. which is why i gave it 2 stars - it's a good book, but not entirely brilliant, in my opinion.

still worth the read though. the author's thought process is very organised and interesting to float through.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like others, I picked this book because it looked and felt beautiful. And reading it was a pleasurable, calming and mindful experience. But it was ephemeral, giving little future direction or food for thought. Also like others, I felt that the fragmented parts could have been fleshed out far more satisfyingly. I'm one of those weird folk who is quite comfortable with silence, both at home and outdoors, so I didn't really learn anything new; I felt quite vindicated though. I will likely read it again, as a meditation in and of itself.

[Marie-Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, lyrical investigation into what can been gained from solitude and silence for mental and physical health.

[Helen Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful insights

[Maryanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange little book, but a charming read which was actually compelling - I read it in just a couple of sittings. Completely agree about noise pollution as a big problem, and love the author's explorations into seeking silence inside ourselves and in nature.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

nice ideas, not very deep, didn't get too far into things or give great resources for how/why to be silent, aside from 'it's good'