A barrier must be built, at which the commotion and madness of the outer world come to a stop, a barrier that is felt and known by the builder himself. No, you misunderstand. To master the art of silence means to fashion it even into the sounds you make, the acts you perform, the thoughts you think, the loves and terrors and agonies and lusts you feel. But sing it as it should be sung, don't let it run through your head whenever it will. If you want to discuss something, discuss it to its height and depth, spend an hour or a day or a week as the urgency warrants, but never engage in small talk, never waste yourself in cocktail party chatter.
Silence is still the best music, and the most difficult to play.