Our Need For Silence in a Noisy World

It is quite evident that we are living in one terribly noisy world and it seems to be getting worse every day. Everywhere we go we are accosted by loud, unwanted sound. When we enter elevators, malls and restaurants we are engulfed by musak. I recently had lunch at a popular restaurant and found the background music so loud that it interfered with normal conversation and the enjoyment of my lunch. When I asked the waitress if she could turn the music off, or at least down, she said, " I don't think we can." Surely we as a people are still in charge of volume controls.

How to Make a Friend of Silence


* Make a conscious commitment to the experience and appreciation of silence.

* Go for a walk in nature. Let the silence soothe your spirit.

* When you are alone in your residence turn off all noise making appliances. Begin with fifteen minutes of silence and gradually increase the duration.

* Learn how to meditate and schedule a ten minute meditation period once or twice a day. Gradually extend your meditation time.

* When driving to work, turn off your car radio and drive in silence.

* Go camping for an night by yourself. Find a quiet campground where they don't allow people to blast their music without consideration for others. I usually go solo camping for one week each year to be alone and silent in the outdoors. It has become something I eagerly look forward to.

* Drive to a lake at sunset and rent a canoe. Paddle slowly along the shoreline observing the silent sights and the gentle sounds of nature as the sun sets and darkness approaches.

* In silence listen to your breathing. Get a sense of the silent rhythm of life.

* Just before retiring go outside and look up at the night sky. You will soon sense another universal rhythm so unfamiliar to many. Let the night sky and the darkness embrace you and calm you as you prepare for a night's rest.

* When you read a book, do so in silence. Many of us read to music or during television commercials. Try silence. You'll grow to love it.

Soon you will begin to cherish the periods of silence you have built into your day and long for more. You will quickly discover that you are becoming more relaxed and less tense even in the midst of our noisy world. You will have made an invaluable new friend of silence, a friend which can comfort, heal and soothe your spirit. What a gift you will have given yourself.

Be still and know the restorative power of silence.

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