Silence

I want to bring you another excerpt from Choosing Civility that I mentioned on Wednesday. The "rule" discussed is "Keep It Down (and Rediscover Silence)". Here's the passage:

In an age when background noise are virtually constant, we are slowly becoming inured to noise. At the same time, many of us are ready to reacquaint ourselves with silence. We are beginning to realize that silence is not a void waiting to be filled, just as an immaculate church wall is not there to be defaced with spray paint. Silence is not necessarily the sign of a failure to communicate. Instead, it can be the refreshing result of a choice. We often surround ourselves with chatter and sundry sounds because we don't want to be alone with our thoughts. While noise takes us away from ourselves, through silence we build bridges to our own souls. Ultimately, the challenge to all of us on the threshold of the new century (which threatens to be a noisy one) is to treat silence as an endangered precious resource. There is an urgent need for advocates of silence. There is an urgent need for gatherers of tranquility.

Learning to meditate is one way to reacquaint oneself with silence. Many people are uncomfortable with silence because they don't know what to "do" with it; they don't know how to manage their thoughts. A commitment to meditation makes silence very welcome indeed.