Mo Yuyu, Class 8, Senior 2, Shenzhen Foreign Languages School Instructed by Yu Xiaodan

深圳外国语学校高二（8）班莫玉宇 指导老师 喻晓丹

We can’t deny that people are social animals. They love spending time in places where they can relax, especially in places that are bustling. But I tend to have a quiet space separate from everything.

Though many people consider my lifestyle to be an extremely odd one, I enjoy the sweet time that silence has given me. Certainly, it’s relaxing for anyone who is annoyed with a complex situation to have solitude to calm down. However, few can endure a long period in this situation, so you know it costs years to be a fan of silence.

I have been accustomed to silence for many years. When I was little, I got to know that I was unique for my precocity. I didn’t have a friend who could have heart-to-heart talks with me, so I turned to books. I know it was just an excuse to hide my solitary nature, but I quickly got used to it. I spoke little yet read much.

I never felt lonely because, whenever I was reading, I drowned myself in the world depicted by the authors without hearing any voice in reality, and this feeling was fabulous. I thought deeply of every word and every sentence, eager to comprehend the profound meanings between the lines. In silence, I got no disturbance of thinking profoundly.

Not only thinking of books, I calmly thought about more serious subjects — interpersonal relationship, society, education, concepts of the world, and so on. Therefore, my real world was often in silence but I always had a clearly-speaking voice in my heart, and I know that it was my distinctively independent thinking and how precious it was.

Getting closer to silence and trying to enjoy it has also changed how I define life. Through thinking profoundly in silence, I have noticed many meaningful books. One of my favorite books, “The Lake Walden” written by Henry David Thoreau, is a naturalist one. Thoreau narrated his ideas with a peaceful touch. Through this book I found that saying nothing makes people sensitive to their surroundings. Sometimes I get tired of reading, then I am attracted by the azure sky and flowing clouds outside my windows. Birds quietly fly away, leaving me smile in relief.

I see every flower blooming as a delicate tale, appreciate tides in and out as a beautiful song; I can even feel enormous vitality through them. Nature, with its huge solemnity, makes me speechless for how powerful and active it is, so I just keep not saying any words while respecting every living thing and cherishing their lives.

In silence, I become a speculator; in silence, I get to love the world and cherish the life; in silence, my mind gets purified and I become a steady, thinking woman.

Though I can’t tell how appreciative I am to “silence” itself, I can share what I’ve gained from it and make you change your former attitude towards it. Hope you all can seek comfort and taste sweetness in silence.