We are overwhelmed. There is no respite anywhere. Now even airplanes, the last refuge from continuous connection, are installing internet service. That old saying “I can’t hear myself think” is the new normal rather than a sometimes occurrence.
I’ve thought about this quite a bit over the years as I’ve notice how people have become less and less able to be alone with their thoughts. Deep thinking is disappearing as rapidly changing stimulation takes over everywhere. People even seem unable to sit through a concert or a movie, much less a business meeting without constantly searching their smart phones for something more interesting than what’s going on right where they sit.
We are losing the power of silence and the contemplation it so often brings. Our minds are being conditioned to think about something in a microsecond burst and then race along to the next thing. So it was with great anticipation that I noticed an article by Maureen Dowd in the New York Times called “Silence is Golden.”
She is an extremely clever writer with wide knowledge, laser focus, and a keen sense of humor and irony. I was expecting the wonderful article I found but what I was not expecting was the movie review it contained. It seems that Michel Hazanavicius has released a spectacular…silent movie. “The Artist.”
I thought about sharing some of the thoughts of Dowd and Hazanavicius but ultimately decided that it would be a disservice. To truly appreciate what we are leaving behind and what this loss means for our future, you really should read the entire work yourself…in a quiet corner devoid of noise and distraction, of course.
Silence is the reason I live in a rural place down a long gravel driveway leading to a very private retreat. The only sounds are those of nature and the only distractions are those I allow in. I retreat to hear the silence and all that is hidden inside.