Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Friday, April 22, 2011

S is for Silence

Silence: Middle English from Old French from Latin silentium, from silent, meaning to be silent. The absence of sound or noise, stillness. The spelling and meaning haven't changed all that much.

I like the word silence, it's a whispery sort of word. Its sound is descriptive of its meaning.

We of the hearing world are never truly in silence as there are noises of one kind or another going on all around us all the time. The noises of the house, of the road, noises of birds, the wind, nature in general. The slight buzz and clicks we hear in our own heads.

But there is a kind of silence we can impose upon ourselves, the deliberate silence of not adding noise to our lives. No iPods, no radio, TV, no music, news, sitcoms or violent dramas. In that self-imposed silence we can hear nature, we can also hear ourselves, hear our own thoughts.

I think there is too much noise in our lives. I read (there are a lot of articles on the web) not long ago about how people are loosing their hearing because they listen to stuff through ear-buds too loudly. Particularly children. When I was a teen and young adult loud concerts were a concern and I know people my age who are hard of hearing because of it. On the rare occasion hubby and I decide to spend money on going to a movie we bring cotton to put in our ears because the theater is just so damn loud. Why does it have to be so loud?

I have always been comfortable with silence and with being by myself. I think it's something a writer may need to be.

Are you comfortable being quiet and still? Or do you need to have some noise going on in the background.


And here, from 1967, live...

Then there's this potent and beautiful meditative verse from Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God.

19 comments:

  1. Ahhh, silence. I'm about to get a week of it. (the kids are going to their grandmother's for Easter...)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this song. hehe they look so young!

    ReplyDelete
  3. My family and I journeyed 13kms down the road where we took a left and drove seemingly into empty jungle where the Lao Zi dragon temple awaited. There was not a person around apart from us and when we exited our car we were completely alone and the silence was engulfing. It was so silent that it was pounding our eardrums! A very memorable experience!

    Lao Zi Dragon Temple

    ReplyDelete
  4. There are days when I desperately seek silence; the absence of someone gabbling away at me, no equipment running. It is almost impossible to attain complete silence.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love quiet. I can't work if there's noise. When I lived at the beach the only sound I ever heard was the ocean. I had no neighbors, no streets, not anything for half a mile. It was great. Now, not so much.

    I just wish everyone would cut their lawn on the same day. So I wouldn't have to listen to it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't know why movie theaters are so loud. It drives me nuts, too. You'd think there would be some kind of health regulation for that!

    I enjoy silence. I love music too, but some days I just want to hear the world's natural sounds instead. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like silence as a space between all the noises. I especially enjoy this song, as I have done for years. thanks, Bish.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree that movie theaters are way too loud. We go to a lot of movies and it's always a joke that we have to just about yell at each to be heard during the previews.

    I used to be someone who always had music on in the background. But now that I've got kids and have so little silence, I relish naptime. Nothing but the tap-tapping of my computer. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love silence. Especially around 4 or 5 AM when the day is just beginning to think about waking up. I love the quiet of mornings when I can step outside and drink in the mountain right next to us, the pasture with the dew glistening on it, the barn in the shadow of the early fog and the sounds of critters providing all the background noise I need.


    Gregg Metcalf
    Colossians 1:28-29

    Gospel-driven Disciples

    ReplyDelete
  10. You got to me again.I enjoy silence when I don't listen to flamenco. S and G... sweet. They look so young but they are/were.
    Have a happy Friday

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh, I love silence. That's one thing I love about where we moved to. Before, we had cars zooming up and down our road constantly. Here it's just an occasional airplane flying over or the sound of one of our neighbors coming home. The other day I was sitting out on the deck and just listening to the birds, squirrels, turkeys, etc. I'm also one of those people that can't write with music or the TV playing. I have to have it quiet. Great post, Bish!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have always been comfortable with silence and with being by myself. I think it's something a writer may need to be.

    Totally agree with the above. I do not need or use background noise of any kind.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Silence is wonderful when I'm praying, but I love to listen to Christopher's conversation when I'm writing. He is the music I listen to. :-)

    But when I'm in deep conversation with God, I need quiet. I guess that's why they call it quiet time. :-) Great post, Bish.

    ReplyDelete
  14. So glad you chose silence as your "s" word. So much noise and so many demands in our lives.

    I've always loved the sound even when I was just a little kid.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I agree--there is too much noise in our lives. I think that it's when we take away the noise that we really hear what is around us!

    Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

    ReplyDelete
  16. I agree. There is too much noise in our lives.

    I used to live near a freeway. The noise of the cars, the helicopters, and the neighbors' dogs who never stopped barking was crazy. But I never realized until I moved to the beach. It's so amazingly quiet here. Like I'm not even in a city.

    I love the bible quote.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the song you posted on here. It is one of my all time favorites. NO, I don't like all silence. My favorite time of day is early in the AM when I walk outside and the birds are just starting their day. YOu can hear all their differing calls. I love that. BUt I like music when I write. If I am blogging I use regular voal music but if I am creating a book or ms I use music that is designed for creativity. I find that this kind of left brain-write brain music increases my focus. Very good post.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, I can relate to this as my 'Q' blog was for silence...
    ahhh!
    x

    ReplyDelete

Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!