The Stranger Within

It is rare to find an individual who is comfortable sitting in silence, allowing his or her mind to be still. Perhaps this is intentional, more than we care to admit.
We do this whenever we claim to need “me” time, but fill our quiet moments alone with people and activities.
We need to be brutally honest and recognize that we fill our lives with clutter—sometimes intentionally, sometimes passively—but we allow it just the same. Anything to avoid being alone with ourselves.
We all know people who seem afraid to be alone. They always need to be with someone, on the phone, or online interacting in some way just to avoid having a chat with themselves.
Most are running from something...a memory, a feeling, an abandoned dream. It is very hard to know what we are running away from until we've taken time to listen, but the whispers we hear from within can be distressing. It's easier to contain our thoughts and emotions rather than face them.
By doing this, we only increase the pressure within. Relieving this inner pressure does not require a lot of time. Ten minutes a day is often enough to clear away the clutter in our minds. Sit still and observe the internal chatter. Meditate. Pray. Just pay attention.
Somehow we must remove the incessant needless distractions from our lives. We need time to go within and listen. More than anything we need to stop running from ourselves.
If we don't put forth effort to try to hear our own voice, why should we expect anyone else to listen to us?