In Silence, There is Peace

"No sooner spoken than broken..."

Having just spent the last four days alone in the house, I find myself suddenly inundated with noise. The sound of footsteps on the floors above, the dishwasher running, a TV airing reruns. All of it, it just feels so....loud.

This feeling has been further impressed by a viewing of Terrence Malick's The New World. This film artfully reflects the meeting of Europeans and First Nations on the shores of what is now Virginia. Before the arrival of settlers, the First Nations peoples knew peace and tranquility. A certain ease with the world around them. Upon landing on the shores, the settlers begin their devastation of the land. Cutting down trees, firing cannons, building forts and houses. All of it, noise and static in a land at peace with its inhabitants.

And that's not the only way this idea is conveyed. Malick also reduces the amount of spoken dialogue in the film, giving way to images and music which more than adequately instill a mood and sense of serenity in the viewer. The characters are not uncomfortable in the long silences, and are able to communicate without needless flapping of the mouth.

Have we lost our commune with that which is unheard? We drown ourselves in the noise that fills our world. On streets, the sound of cars whizzing by, horns blaring, alarms ringing. In buildings, phones jingle, doors slam, music plays. Only when we exit the concrete jungle to enter the outside world does all of that stop.

People spend hours talking on their phones if only to feel connected in some way to another human being. We make small-talk to fill the empty silences that accompany meetings. And when silence finally descends upon a group of people, a single word emerges: awkward.

Why is that? Why has it become so difficult to enjoy the stillness of the air and to not be constantly in need of noise? I try to make use of quiet surroundings to distill my thoughts. Meditation in a secluded space allows me to appreciate my experiences and ideas. But when confronted with so much noise, this can be very frustrating. In these sessions, I find myself going ever deeper to escape the ringing and banging and talking. Tuning out has become a necessary skill, if only to maintain my sanity.

Go back in your memory. Find the last time you stopped to enjoy silence. I know how it made me feel. How about you?