Silence May Not Be Golden

Have you noticed that nearly everyone seems to be wired for sound? Teens and adults alike can't seem to set aside the headphones, cell phones, radio and TV. Whenever I take my junior high students on a field trip the first thing they ask is whether they can take along their listening devices. If they don't have MP3 or CD players they want the radio playing. I don't care for all the "noise" on the radio so I usually tell them that silence is golden.

In the last couple of years I have noticed that adults jogging are also always wired for sound. Then with the popularity of cell phones people are on the phone at restaurants, while driving, or even while out for a walk. I keep asking myself why people can't realize that silence is golden.

Then something happened to me. On Monday my phone provider went bankrupt and abruptly ceased operation for all 200,000 of us who were its customers. Suddenly there was no phone ringing at our house and we couldn't call anyone. It brought panic. What if someone needed to talk to us? Well, I dug out my prepaid cell that we only use for security when on bicycle rides or auto trips. I quickly called our friends and family with whom we frequently talk. I wanted them to know how to be in touch. Then I realized that sometimes silence is not golden.

We crave contact with others. While I can get along without turning on the TV or the radio, I found that I "needed" to be in contact with people. The prospect of not being able to talk to friends and family or have them contact me was uncomfortable. While opportunities for quietness and meditation are welcomed and needed, total silence is not golden. Perhaps the constant presence of MP3's, CD players, cell phones, radios and TV is simply an attempt to avoid the silence of being out of contact.

Another way to stay in touch is by becoming a regular sender of greeting cards. The message of a card can stimulate warm memories and feelings for both the sender and receiver. For more information on how to become a sender of real greeting cards delivered by the US mail right from your computer go to Sending Grace and fill out the form there or email me.