Back in the last century… Good grief, I must be getting old… I’m part of history! we had the latest gadgets for staying in touch with our music. “Ghetto blasters” were the trendiest of things, we used to walk around with half a ton dead weight, two loudspeakers blasting our ear at the range of 2 inches. Joy of joys, everybody else got to share the music whether they wanted to or not. Instant popularity. Not. Cassette tapes were the ammunition of choice. This was pre-CD, so you may be thinking these machines were probably steam-powered. Now we do the same thing with our phone and earbuds. At least they are lightweights, even if the music isn’t as good (imho).
Silence? Let’s fill it, quick. The TV is always on- I remember doing a funeral visit where the grieving widow told me all about her dead husband over the blare of the telly which was keeping the rest of the family engrossed in “Corrie.” People can’t seem to handle silence very well anymore.
Do you ever find life a bit loud and “heavy”? And yearn for peace and quiet?
My quiet place these days is often the beach. That could be a me-twin in the photo, the little figure silhouetted against the sea. On an evening like this the sea is gently swishing, the lightest of breezes caress my face, and the Sun slides away to sleep behind the darkening clouds. Every now and then a plaintive seagull intrudes harshly or an excited dog barks with joy at the sheer delight of being at the beach.
Silence? We need to go searching to find it. Why should we bother?
If we can shed the clamour and intrusion of modern living, we have an opportunity to get in touch with our own heart, to listen to what our mind, body, and soul are telling us (maybe this is why we avoid silence?).
Entering into silence quiets our inner self. It also removes the distractions that prevent us hearing God. We are truly ourselves, which can be uncomfortable, but raises the important questions of WHY we live. Our purpose, our vision, our dreams… and exposes us to the truth “God has placed eternity in our hearts” (Ecclesiastes 3) which is why we yearn for more, for meaning, for the mystery than reveals more than it conceals
Seeking the silence. It just might be the most important thing you do today.
The Reflectionary 