How much silence does one need? [Article]

Poet & writer Robert Twigger lives in Egypt, & loves the Saharan desert. He sells desert silence to those eager to experience it:

City life is a constant, maddening hum. Only in a place like the Sahara can we hear the nothingness that revives.

As you get older you value silence more. Your nerves get jangled more easily. Loud music becomes less and less attractive. Instead of wanting to rev up, you seek ways to calm down. But I suspect the search for real silence goes deeper than just a desire to relax. It’s no accident that many religious orders have vows of silence. Only in silence can the soul unburden itself and then listen out for subtler signs, information from the unknown inner regions.