Silence isn’t empty. It’s where your own opinion finally gets a word in.

With something in your ears all day, every gap gets filled by somebody else’s voice, and you can go weeks without finding out what you think. Your own conclusions arrive slowly and quietly, usually while you are doing nothing much. They need room, and noise takes the room.

Walk home one day this week with nothing playing, or sit for ten minutes before bed without a screen. Expect it to feel dull at first, since the boredom is the doorway rather than the problem. Notice which thought shows up when nothing is competing with it.