Landscapes of the Sacred: Darshan- Samantha Anderson

In the American culture, silence has become a bad sign. However, the Hindus believe in darshan, “absorbing the unspoken presence of a nobler spirit” p. 91. Why is it that our culture finds silence awkward, chilling, and uncomfortable? Where did the constant need for conversation arrive from? I feel as a culture we would be more at peace if we practiced darshan. I believe a true sign of friendship to be the ability to sit together and not have a need to say anything to each other. The silence between friends is a representation of how close we are; the fact that we are not afraid of our silence together, but rather we embrace the time and reflect on our own thoughts and friendship. How much would our culture change if we practiced darshan on a regular basis?