An Argument For Silence

Fantasy or imagination is a thought pattern that has verbal expression and knowledge, 
but for which there is no such object or reality in existence. 

As I study Chapter 1, Verse 9 of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra (above), I am struck by an excellent reason for silence. 

Our minds will inevitably create images and thoughts. When we give voice to these thoughts; when we explain them or detail them with words, we are solidifying them, making them stronger and more real. Where they once were made of only air, we cast them in mud or even stone. But they are not real. They are only images in our minds. The more we talk about the thoughts we have in our minds, the more we can confuse the solidified thoughts with actual reality.

If we can notice our thoughts without giving them voice, we have a greater opportunity to observe the difference between what is in our mind and what truly exists. So perhaps it is best not to ask the question "What are you thinking?" And perhaps it is best not to answer it.