Periodically, I am struck by this thought: "Why are we afraid of silence?" It is usually spurred by actually experiencing quiet, and realizing that rather than being something that should be avoided, or something that makes us uncomfortable, silence can be rejuvenating. I'm not advocating we all take up yoga and start meditating, but maybe there is something to be gained by slowing down and allowing our brain time to get its bearings.
Another thought that usually follows quickly after I begin considering our "silencephobia*" is, "Why do we seek amusement over all else?" We want to be entertained. Looking at society, you'd think that the worst possible thing would be not having plans on a Friday night. We always want to be doing, doing, doing. We program our kids that down-time is evil. We actually use it as a punishment for them. What is there in silence that we find so terrifying?
Recently, I was studying Philippians 4, and I realized something. It looks like Paul's theme for the chapter is "Living Right". He talks about having right attitudes, right actions and right emotions. It hit me as I was reading, that the Bible's order of priorities for how we should feel is just about exactly opposite to "normal" priorities. In man's method, we see people trying to have enough so they can be content, thinking that once they are content, they will be happy, and when they are happy, they will have peace. I think that's why we see such an emphasis on amusement. A friend of mine in college had a theory about the origin of the word amuse. He thought it may have it's roots in ancient Greek. He pointed out that the word appears to be made up of the Alpha Privative (the letter "A" at the beginning) and the word for thought. The Alpha Privative literally takes the word it is applied to and makes it the opposite of or negative of the original word, so if muse means "thought" amuse means "without thought" or "not thinking". Whether or not that theory is accurate, it provides a lot to think about. Today people seek amusement over all else. They want happiness, and to get it, they feel they must turn off thought. They seek amusement to find contentment, because they know if they think about it too long, they'll find a huge God shaped hole in their lives. The mantra of "Party hard, die young, leave a pretty corpse" could easily have the codicil "so you don't have time to think about what's causing the empty feeling."
On the other hand, exactly opposite to man's philosophy is what we see in Philippians 4. We are told to be at peace with our circumstances, regardless of what they are, because we know God and understand that He loves us and is in control. Once we are at peace in whatever state we are in, we will be able to rejoice and experience happiness, and because of that, we can be content.
Don't be afraid of silence. When the noise dies away and we shut out the distractions, you'd be amazed what you can find. Peace and contentment can be attained. In fact, they are the emotions God wants us to be feeling.
*Made up term, not a clinically diagnosed phobia. The actual phobia of silence is Sedatephobia.
Another thought that usually follows quickly after I begin considering our "silencephobia*" is, "Why do we seek amusement over all else?" We want to be entertained. Looking at society, you'd think that the worst possible thing would be not having plans on a Friday night. We always want to be doing, doing, doing. We program our kids that down-time is evil. We actually use it as a punishment for them. What is there in silence that we find so terrifying?
Recently, I was studying Philippians 4, and I realized something. It looks like Paul's theme for the chapter is "Living Right". He talks about having right attitudes, right actions and right emotions. It hit me as I was reading, that the Bible's order of priorities for how we should feel is just about exactly opposite to "normal" priorities. In man's method, we see people trying to have enough so they can be content, thinking that once they are content, they will be happy, and when they are happy, they will have peace. I think that's why we see such an emphasis on amusement. A friend of mine in college had a theory about the origin of the word amuse. He thought it may have it's roots in ancient Greek. He pointed out that the word appears to be made up of the Alpha Privative (the letter "A" at the beginning) and the word for thought. The Alpha Privative literally takes the word it is applied to and makes it the opposite of or negative of the original word, so if muse means "thought" amuse means "without thought" or "not thinking". Whether or not that theory is accurate, it provides a lot to think about. Today people seek amusement over all else. They want happiness, and to get it, they feel they must turn off thought. They seek amusement to find contentment, because they know if they think about it too long, they'll find a huge God shaped hole in their lives. The mantra of "Party hard, die young, leave a pretty corpse" could easily have the codicil "so you don't have time to think about what's causing the empty feeling."
On the other hand, exactly opposite to man's philosophy is what we see in Philippians 4. We are told to be at peace with our circumstances, regardless of what they are, because we know God and understand that He loves us and is in control. Once we are at peace in whatever state we are in, we will be able to rejoice and experience happiness, and because of that, we can be content.
Don't be afraid of silence. When the noise dies away and we shut out the distractions, you'd be amazed what you can find. Peace and contentment can be attained. In fact, they are the emotions God wants us to be feeling.
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