When was the last time you spent more than a few seconds…in genuine silence?  No music, no television, no iPhone alerts…or scrolling; no honking car horns or ambulance sirens; not even the conversation of a friend or the sound of the conversations of others.  Just you, alone with your thoughts…and the uninterrupted, unbroken silence? 

I bet it’s been a while—maybe even never for most of us.  And if you’re one of the few who have spent any time in total silence…be honest, how eager were you to hurry up and break it?  I mean, most of us can’t even bear the “awkward silence” of a conversation for a few seconds, before we feel we have to say something.

Now, apart from wondering why I’m even asking you this, perhaps you’re also wondering, “How or where could I ever find such silence, even if I wanted to?”  It’s a fair question.  The world wasn’t always this way.  For much of human history, whether man wanted it or not, silence was an inescapable part of life—and for many, it was regarded as a blessing to be embraced, not a burden to be avoided.

Ever heard the saying, “Silence is golden”?  Francis Bacon said “silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom”; Confucius claimed that “silence is the true friend who never betrays”; Einstein said that “the monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind”; and Cicero believed that “silence is one of the great arts of conversation.”

But if all these guys thought silence was so great, they must have at least tried it more than a few times.  So, why is it that we find it so hard to spend any real time in silence?  Why do so few of us share their fondness for quiet?  It is easy to blame it on the noisiness of the world, but I think Emily Dickinson’s answer is closer to the truth:

Silence is all we dread.

There’s Ransom in a Voice—

But Silence is Infinity.

Himself have not a face.

Perhaps what we need is not a more convenient way to find some silence amid the modern racket, but rather the courage to enter into it, wherever we can find it…and to stay there for a little while.  Who knows what nourishment, wisdom, creativity we might gain from it?  Are you willing to give it a try?  Or are you too afraid of the silence?

Have a wonderful day.