The other day, I was sitting at home trying to catch up on some emails as one does whenever one gets a bit of spare time. The truth is that it has become increasingly difficult to complete all the tasks and activities that we place on our “to do” lists in the 24 hours that we have. So we often find that we grab every spare minute to tackle things that would ordinarily be considered to be “all in a day’s work”. On this day, I found myself sitting at my desk with my laptop open and battling to reduce the number of unread (let alone replied to) emails in my Inbox. For some reason, I was finding it particularly difficult to make much progress and soon I began to wonder what was hampering my productivity to this extent.
Then I began to notice something. There was actually a lot of ambient noise in the environment around me. The TV was on in the background, the radio was also on with some hot political discussion going on, my mobile phone kept alerting me to incoming calls, SMS’ and WhatsApp messages and even as I struggled make in-roads into the pile of emails, more kept pouring in. No wonder my output was suffering! How could one do any serious work of any decent quality in such an environment? It was equivalent to trying to undertake intellectual enterprise in the middle of the popular stand at the Accra Sports Stadium. In addition to the audible sounds from the TV, Radio and mobile phone, there was also the distraction by things that required (or should I say attracted) my attention and as such could be considered to be mental noise. One of the definitions offered by the Merriam Webster dictionary describes noise as “any unwanted signal or disturbance”. Hence, if my objective was to tackle my email backlog, then the messages from Marshallan chat groups or from alma mater year groups, the SMS and WhatsApp messages that were impossible to resist, the worries about things left undone and pending completion, the plans to attend that distant relatives engagement, birthday party or funeral and all the other subliminal distractions around me represented NOISE. With Noise understood to be any disturbance or distraction from our main purpose, then it must be said that our world today has become unbearably noisy both from the audible and mental perspectives.
The truth is that this generation has made non-stop multitasking the new paradigm of modern living. This trait is now one of the key criteria when looking to appoint or promote personnel in today’s corporate world. It should not surprise anyone then that In order to be the best by today’s standards (I.e. a consummate multitasker), we consciously and deliberately immerse ourselves in ever more “noisy” environments. We justify this on the basis that there are not enough hours in the day so I must have both the radio and TV on whilst I work and I must take frequent breaks to do other things that require my attention. In addition to satisfying our church, family, work and social obligations we must also be up to date on all the local and international business, current affairs and politics. Of course, we must also be directly plugged into the gossip and “filla” feeds to ensure that we are current! In effect, we go into the noise because we believe modern man has no other choice.
Whilst I am on the subject of mental noise, I must comment on the general increase in the audible sound levels everywhere around us. At our funerals, weddings, social events and anywhere a PA system is used, the volume controls appear to be stuck on maximum. What is surprising is the fact that we accept this and instead resort to shouting ourselves hoarse in compensation as we try to hold conversations in the heart of these audio maelstroms. Even in our Catholic churches, the sound levels are getting alarming. I conducted a little experiment the other day using one of those sound meter phone apps that you can download for free. Using this, I measured the noise levels at a Catholic mass and amazingly it registered an average level of 80dB for the entire 1½ hour duration. This is extremely alarming when you consider that the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designates a sound that measures 85dB as a dangerous sound, sustained exposure to which can cause Noise-induced Hearing Loss.
Let me come to the main point of this piece. I hope that the preceding has demonstrated to you that we live in very NOISY times, both in terms of audible and mental noise. Now more than ever before, we need to embrace the practice of seeking SILENCE as an urgent panacea to the many ill-effects of sustained exposure to Noise. Almost since the genesis of scientific study, the peculiar power of silence to calm our bodies, aid healing, improve our well-being and enhance our spiritual health has been well documented. To aid in our understanding of the benefits of silence, it is useful to look at the etymology of the word “noise” which reveals that it traces its root to the Latin word noxia which means hurting, injury or damage. Interestingly the same root gave us the word nausea with it’s connotations of disgust, annoyance and discomfort.
In more contemporary times, epidemiologists have found strong correlations between noise (of both the audible and mental variety) and high blood pressure, sleep loss, heart disease, dementia, depression and tinnitus. Simply put, NOISE IS VERY BAD FOR YOU. The good news is that the converse holds true.
Silence is great for the human being. What is even better is that science has confirmed that introducing periods of silence into very noisy lives produces more significant benefits than when one exists in an environment of continuous silence or tranquility. In other words, if the presence of noise is unavoidable in today’s world, then our best bet is to regularly intersperse our lives with periods of silent retreat.
For us Christians, this should not come as a surprise. Our Lord and Saviour can be described as the master of the retreat into silence. Around most of the major events in His life, there would be a period of retreat. This is especially true when the clamour for his works of mercy and healing were most sought after by the multitudes or when he faced major trials or persecutions. A few examples will illustrate Jesus’ practice of silent, solitary retreat. In the Luke chapter 6 narrative of Christ’s healing of the man with the paralyzed hand on the Sabbath, verse 11 describes the disposition of the Pharisees as “filled with rage and began to discuss among themselves what they could do with Jesus”. The next verse (v12) describes Jesus’ response to this strong sentiment of ill will towards Him. Jesus went up a hill to pray alone and spent the whole night there praying to God. No doubt, our Lord knew that what He had done was very controversial and had steeled the determination of the Pharisees to finish Him off. His response was not to engage in a Public Relations campaign to clarify His action; rather He withdrew into silence to commune with God and to strengthen Himself for the next action of His mission. After He fed the 5,000, He withdraws to be alone with God; when He hears the bad news about His cousin, John the Baptist, He goes away again; at the start of His mission He goes off into the desert and spends forty days alone with God; even when He goes with His friends to the Garden of Gethsemane at the start of His Passion, He withdraws from them to be alone with His Father.
So over and above the benefits of silence to our physical and mental health, we will find true spiritual renewal and strength if we learn to create space and time for silence. As followers of Christ we must learn to employ the strategy of withdrawing from the noise and clutter of our daily lives at each critical stage in our lives. Silence is truly golden and in it lies the essence of true self –discovery and therefore, true self-mastery. Any person who desires to maximize their effectiveness and discover the will of God in their lives must embrace the discomfort of quiet. It is not easy to shut out this world which presses in on every side with its incessant demands for our attention but if we are able to, we will discover a world of renewal, refreshment and intimate engagement with the Divine. And in the silence we will discover that which is enduring and priceless – the strength to endure, persevere, overcome and grow in faith.
Therefore, SILENCE! Please, and ponder on these:
“True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.” William Penn .
“Silence is a source of Great Strength.” Lao Tzu
“Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.”
Opening line of Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
“In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.”
Mother Teresa, In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers