The single most important skill one must, absolutely must cultivate and learn is to be silent. To be still is the natural corollary. In the face of the harshest words, the most testing of times, if one can lesrn to will oneself into being still and silent, a lot of the hurt goes away. Life is never going to be how we want it to be. There is never going to be a time when everything goes the way you want. There is never going to be a situation when everyone agrees with you. Never. One has to either cocoon oneself against the world, or learn to be still and silent when things go awry. For me, it is a kind of disturbance that happens inside my heart and mind. Pulling myself back and forcing myself to be still till the heartbeat slows down again has been, and still often is, the biggest challenge. To let harsh words, careless words, painful deeds just flow through and flow out is what we really need to learn. Sometimes, it is just random words or thoughts that cause the disturbance. Quieten down. And force yourself to be still both physically and mentally. Be silent. And see how calm and clear you feel…