Thinking can get in the way of reality sometimes. It can get in the way of our enjoyment and feeling of delight with what is around us.
Things that we see are what they are. The tree is of a certain height, its leaves are a particular shape. No amount of thinking is going to change how the tree actually is.
Try Sahaja Meditation online with someone else at the same time. See if “silent” and “calm” describe what it feels like inside your head. Maybe you will have an amazing and profound experience.
What a friend from Massachusetts told me:
“I didn’t really notice anything different during or after my first Sahaja Meditation meeting. But when I woke up the next morning, I noticed something. For the first time, I didn’t wake up feeling angry.”
Here’s an idea: For someone who is not able to attend a meeting in person, try meditating at a website like tristatemeditation.org with someone else at the same time. Call up a friend or Skype them, and sit together, even if separated by a great physical distance and several time zones, and see if the mind stops chattering and becomes still and calm faster.