Silence is ‘golden,’ or so someone says. Valuable! I think it’s priceless! Though noise, often necessary, can easily be offensive at the wrong time.
Anyone who knows me understands I can drive for hours without a radio or speaker blaring. It’s created silence if you can ignore the road and wind noise. Yet, for me, it’s necessary. I cannot abide cackle, chuckles, wasted words, or senseless sounds. If I choose to be involved in some noise, then that special someone knows me well enough to help me out of the peace I’ve created by sharing a special story or favored song, a common sight before us, or something that means a return to the noisome world I’m tuning out.
Silence is better than unmeaning words.
~Pythagoras
Finding a silent space is difficult. And it’s not often looked upon favorably. Being silent at the wrong time or in the wrong space can actually be seen as a rebuke or tacit approval. Lest we use our lack of noise the wrong way, realize many of us love to exist in the moment of silence.
Silence is refreshment for the soul.
~Wynonna Judd
Some are so high-strung they could not exist in a silent world. Their release of energy is often found in noise, whether it’s vocal or clattering pots and pans as they move through life.
Speak Up!
Sitting in the back seat of a rental vehicle (mini-van!), I could not hear my bride in a normal vocal range. Except, she was talking to me, and I was fine just sitting there and enjoying blocking out the noise of the trip. (Yes, it was this morning!)
Solomon tells us there is a time for silence and a time to speak. (Ecclesiastes 3:7) For me, it’s all about finding a balance between the extremes.
Maybe that’s the key. We must find the balance.
In a meeting a decade or two ago, I was asked not to speak and let others share. Though I’m an adult, I learned a lesson. There is no sense in sharing if no one is willing to listen, grow, or learn how to be better. My voice and lesson to share are that others are mostly not interested. So, I learn to converse with myself in a distracted way while showing an interest outwardly.
Most of us think while listening, not to understand, but to come up with words that fit our response to the moment.
Where Do You Enjoy Silence?
When I’m engaged with a book, or thinking through a scenario, I assume everyone will respect my process and give me some silent treatment. Well, that doesn’t always happen. Back in the office days, you could close the door, or string a “caution” tape across your cubicle entrance to indicate your need for isolation – but that doesn’t always equate to silence.
We’ve learned how to “tune out” the unwanted noise, and accept there are some sounds we cannot block. At home, or in my office, or on the back of my tractor, I simply use my noise cancelling headset! Not a bad approach!
When traveling with a tour group in Israel and Jordan, I wished for a headset! It was not available! Then, I would pull out of the crowd, find a place to settle in, or stroll, and contemplate the scenes without distraction.
On one trip (Scotland) while experiencing driving from the wrong side of a car, on the wrong side of the road, and struggling to keep my wits operational, we turned off the “turn by turn” navigator we called Maggie (for Magellan). I could not handle her distracting voice when we were caught in a construction zone and she kept telling me to find a suitable place to do a U-turn!
Just A Thought With Big Ramifications
While I monitor my thoughts, searching for the reason to enjoy my silence, these few quotes rise to the surface and tell me that not all silence is to our benefit.
- In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph. ~Haile Selassie
- Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute. ~Josh Billings
- He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words. ~Elbert Hubbard
- The human heart has hidden treasures, In secret kept, in silence sealed; The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures, Whose charms were broken if revealed. ~Charlotte Bronte
Learn when, and try hard, to be silent at the right time. But, when needed, speak up with a loud and commanding tone when it will do the job required!