We have become a culture that is addicted to noise and distraction.
The more advanced our technology gets the more we create devices that give us better and faster access to the world around us. We are connected more frequently to information, movies, music, hobbies, co-workers, school mates, our favorite businesses, and the list goes on and on.
Here is what an article published by the New York Times says about our children and technology:
Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day with such devices, compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago, when the study was last conducted. And that does not count the hour and a half that
youths spend texting, or the half-hour they talk on their cell phones.
While most of the young people in the study got good grades, 47 percent of the heaviest media users — those who consumed at least 16 hours a day — had mostly C’s or lower, compared with 23 percent of those who typically consumed media three hours a day or less. The heaviest media users were also more likely than the lightest users to report that they were bored or sad, or that they got into trouble, did not get along well with their parents and were not happy at school.
Some of those studied were exposed to 16 hours of devices/media in a single day. With that kind of intrusion it is no wonder that the mere mention of the word silence makes most of us squirm in our seats. This is the conclusion that Henri Nouwen comes to in his book The Way of the Heart.
Over the last decade we have been inundated by a torrent of words. Wherever we go we’re surrounded by words: words softly whispered, loudly proclaimed, angrily screamed; words spoken, recited, or sung; words on records, in books, on walls, in the sky; words in many sounds, many colors, many forms; words to be heard, read, seen, glanced at; words which flicker on and off, move slowly, dance, jump, wiggle. Words, words, words! They form the floor, walls, and ceiling of our existence.
Recently I was driving through Los Angeles, and suddenly I had the strange sensation of driving through a huge dictionary. Wherever I looked there were words trying to take my eyes from the road. They said, “Use me, take me, by me, drink me, smell me, touch me, kiss me, sleep with me.” In such a world who can maintain respect for words?
One of our main problems is that in this chatty society, silence has become a very fearful thing. For most people, silence creates itchiness and nervousness. Many experience silence not as full and rich, but as empty and hollow. For them silence is like a gaping abyss which can swallow them up. As soon as the minister says during a worship service, “Let us be silent for a few moments,” people tend to become restless and preoccupied with only one thought: “When will this be over?”
–Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart
The only way to keep from being swept away by the growing current of technology and innovation is to make a conscious choice to walk away from it regularly. Unfortunately, to many of us, spending long periods of time in silence and solitude will be the equivalent of being in hell. To overcome our addiction to noise and distraction we will need to focus on consistency for shorter periods of time. We must build to staying in our quietness until all that remains is the unfiltered voice of God.
Here is what I have learned. The more I pray, the more I am aware of God’s presence. And… The more of his presence I want. Spending short periods of time in an environment free of noise and outside intrusion is much better than spending a hour in a crowded cafeteria. Mainly because it gives God on opportunity to speak freely and for us to hear clearly.
What begins as an uncomfortable setting that begs for something to knock at the door and break the boredom is transformed into a rich and refreshing retreat for the soul.
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