It’s ironic that while our means of communicating have proliferated, our ability to communicate in person has diminished. I’m convinced that unless we cultivate silence in our lives, our communication with others will suffer.
Where once there was silence within the home, there is noise. Children, of course, create all sorts of noise, and that noise definitely impedes communication between adults. But there is a more insidious noise that accompanies our electronics and devices.
Besides the pings, rings, dings, and chimes that accompany messages, alerts, and alarms, there is the noise of podcasts and an endless stream of talking heads. There is music of every sort. Movies, videos, games—more and more and more! And it’s all available and accessible 24/7.
Similarly, the television, which was once relegated to waking hours, now broadcasts or streams content all hours of the day and night. We can blithely move about our days from room to room, home to car, car to store, restaurant, or workplace, and take our noise with us, even as we walk to and from.
This noise stifles natural conversations. When the relative quiet that naturally encourages interaction is absent, we withdraw, knowing it’s not an opportune time for dialogue.
Don’t bother Dad while he’s listening to his podcast. Don’t interrupt Johnny’s video game. Jenny’s listening to her music. Mom’s trying to listen to an audiobook.
Don’t get me wrong. There is good that comes from the convenience of listening and the wealth of information at our fingertips. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a book while scrubbing the toilet or listening to music while cutting the grass.
But the wall-to-wall listening comes at a price.
Important conversations never initiated. Casual discussions never had. And precious little time for the creativity that comes from a wandering, daydreaming mind.
All of the noise also impedes the still, small voice of God, the moving of our consciences, and the self-awareness and growth that come from quiet introspection and prayer.
If we can’t cultivate silence in our hearts and in our homes, we’ll never discover it in the world, where music and chatter are pumped into nearly every retail space, sometimes at a volume that impedes normal conversation.
There’s one sound we could use more of. We’d all be better off if we cultivated a little more silence.
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