In Praise of Silence
Why do we go on camping trips? Sure the campfires, the hiking, the kayaking are all fun. But what is the real reason for driving hours away from a cozy home to sleep on the ground in a flimsy tent with no proper toilets within miles? Why do people even bother with packing all their belongings into a car so that they can sleep in the middle of nowhere for a week? What is the point of all the dirt, grime, and sweat when we can be perfectly comfortable in our homes? Most people do it to get away from it all, away from our busy lives and the buzz of the world that surrounds us day and night. Once in a while, we all just need some silence.
If silence is so great, why don’t we just mute the entire world you ask? Well then nothing really would get accomplished. Any kind of verbal communications wouldn’t exist and everyone will be forced to learn sign language. Facial expressions will be pointless without their accompanying sounds. There would be no point in watching orchestras performing or movies playing or dramas unfolding anymore, it would all be just actions without sound. However important sounds and noises are in our daily lives, a balance still needs to be found. More often than not there needs to be a greater amount of silence.
First, silence can be powerful; it has an energy like no other. It has the power to get people to think, to act, and slow the mind down. The trouble is that many people feel the need to fill the void of silence with needless chatter, television, music, or some other kind of noise. True, silence can be disconcerting and can make people feel uncomfortable and alone; that’s why the world is filled with TVs that have been left on when nobody is watching, for background noise. However, it can be a very powerful tool if used properly. During arguments, for example, it can be one of the