Some people think mainly in words. Others in images and scenes. Most seem to combine the two. Inner silence as a spiritual ideal is incomplete. It's the same to strive for merely a clear mind. An awake one seems to be quiet AND blank with no phrases, no scenery. To not release into both is to continue suffering. Your inner words describe your inner visions. Your mind images describe your thought sentences. Release them both and be at peace in the present.
The answer to all your problems is to learn permaculture and help heal the world!