silence is an interesting thing.
have you ever really thought about it? i did today over lunch.
i was sitting on a park bench eating a pb&j and wondering if i had ever truly experienced silence because i was so annoyed by all the noise (literal and figruative) around me: trucks, the grain elevator, people walking by, lawn mowers, and so on. i moved to a couple different picnic tables and benches to find a "quiet" spot.
i thought i had found one, but as i was reading some poetry by Coleridge (for class...don't be impressed.), i was having a hard time hearing my reading over all the noise. in this case it was a metaphorical noise: what should i do for dinner, what time do i need to leave for class, what should i do about this decision.
they (whoever "they" are...) say that "silence is golden." but why?
you are in luck, i have a theory.
i can only think of a few times when i have been able to turn it all off and block it all out.
it seems most of those times, when i have really experienced quiet, has been when i am in a beautiful place.
when i am in the middle of nowhere. and my friends, the middle of nowhere is hard to find these days - it a much farther drive than it used to be.
and here is my theory.
first, there are way too many things in my house, outside, at the office, etc that are constantly whirring or buzzing. things that are constantly "on" or people that are driving by. i want to go outside and hear the birds singing, leaves rustling, bull frogs grunting, brooks bubbling, and nothing man made. when i was a kid, i feel like i could hop on my bike and ride for 5 or 10 minutes and reach a place where i could experience those things. as an adult, i feel like it would take a 30 minute drive to get far enough away to listen for those things.
so now i just need to learn how to listen for those sounds amdist the noise of the 21st century, and i might be able to have enjoy the quiet.
second, silence, the metaphorical kind, the silence that happens when i shut down all the thoughts in my head, can only happen when i am content.
"silence is golden" because when you can really experience it, you are living in peace, trust, rest, quiet. i think i experience silence in beautiful places, because all the sudden i am so wrapped up in the Glory of God and the beauty of creation that i am able to ignore all the little thoughts, all the sounds, all of the stuff that makes us human and just "be" in that moment with God.
Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above everything.
Psalm 46:10, The Message
that is golden silence, in it's truest form.
the question, however, remains...how do we let ourselves just be amid the noise of everyday?