A Moment of Silence, Please

We live in a society of noise. From the moment we wake until the moment we sleep, we are bombarded with sound. Most of us start our day by hearing the most annoying sound known to mankind, an alarm clock. After that, we flip on the TV, most of the time for no reason at all. As the sound from the television keeps us company, we go about our normal morning activities. We eat, we shower, we brush our teeth, and we prepare ourselves for the day. All the while, the TV is blaring in the background. Information is being disseminated, and we miss most of it.

As soon as we are ready, we get in the car. What do you think happens? Yes, that’s right; the radio comes on, again ramming into our ears more noise. We ride along listening to whatever is on at that particular moment. It could be good; it could be bad. It doesn’t really matter. It comforts us. It keeps us from feeling lonely.

Finally, we arrive at school or work, and our friends greet us. We begin to “chit-chat” about what we did last night, and the homework we failed to get done. We talk about each other’s outfits and hair and make-up and about the sporting event last night. We talk and talk and talk, and as soon as silence falls, something happens. We get uncomfortable. There is an uneasiness that creeps in and leaves us feeling weird. So, how do we respond to this uneasiness? We crack a joke or create a distraction to ease the tension and break the silence. Why? Why are we afraid of the silence?

The writer of Psalm 46 says well, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The constancy of noise in our lives robs us of so much. It interrupts our connection to God. According to the psalmist, stillness is something that is valued by God. Until we are still, we cannot understand God. Sometimes, it is necessary for us to stop. Stop running. Stop doing. Stop being busy. We need to stop and be still. In those moments of stillness, our minds can rest and hear the voice of God. In I Kings 19, God comes to Elijah not in the wind or the earthquake or the fire. Only in the still, small whisper does Elijah find God. So it is with us. The constant presence of noise in our lives destroys not only our ability to think deeply about anything but also our drive to think at all. The noise we hear will think for us. They (all those who create the noise) will tell us what to believe; therefore, we won’t ever have to confront what might be. So, why do we fear silence? Because, in the silence, we have to confront, we have think about this one thing: Am I really alone?

For more on the value of silence and thinking, read this.