Focus
A welcome silence forces me to listen better and focus on what matters in my immediate circumstances. It helps me to avoid procrastination when I pretend to be very busy with technology for work, research or entertainment. There is also a more negative in contrast to the welcome relief from noise.
Technology
Silence may seem welcome when technology-driven attention seeking social media constantly deafens us. The trick is how to manage the noise level in this time of regular lockdowns and self incarceration. The temptation to turn to the television or the computer for distraction can damage for many reasons.
Image by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash
A deafening Silence
A re-make of the old Simon song, ‘The Sound of Silence’ by the rock band called ‘Disturbed’ perfectly describes a deafening silence. It is the best version of that old favourite that I’ve heard so far. The remarkable lyrics of Paul Simon conjured many images, and the ‘Disturbed’ presentation brought them to life in an electrifying and dramatic style: It reminded me of the masked protestors walking in silence against abuse; the silence forced onto the abused, the silence of those who sacrifice justice for expedience; the silence of a world that refuses to see the famine caused by greed. The song’s image of furtive, silent, forbidden messages of graffiti on subway walls crying out for attention is haunting and deafening. And the silent worship of technology by some of us, to the detriment of personal contact, is daunting.
Tinnitus
I can relate to the deafening sound of silence as someone with the condition of Tinnitus. A hearing impairment that comes with a constant cacophony in my head, with little relief and becoming worse at night when all else is silent! Tinnitus is an apt manifestation and excellent description of the ‘deafening sound of silence’. I find the line in the Simon lyrics … silence like a cancer grows… especially relatable. The cancer of silence in human society is the hardest thing to change. We are silent when we fear repercussion, when we are culpable, when we hope silence will make things better, when silence buys immunity and when silence profits us personally. This is silence at its most deafening; screaming, desperate for some noise.
Golden
The cliche ‘silence is golden’ could only have come from someone with advantage or profit in mind. Sometimes silence can gild a difficult situation that could become unmanageable or dangerous. I would not advocate goading someone holding a gun to the head. Silence is the ‘better part of valour’ also when direct harm to ourselves or others results from speaking. Silence is better in the face of genuine stupidity – one cannot change the mind of someone incapable of seeing the obvious.
Absence of Life
Image by Joe Mcdaniel on Unsplash
If ever there was life on planet Mars, it now must remind us we can avert the silence of a lifeless planet. There is hope if we on planet earth speak up and act against our own silence in the face of environmental destruction. A destruction brought on by the convenience of remaining silent about our own behaviour, because of short-term benefits.
There are many silences and before the cancer of silence kills us, we should stand up and shout it out from the hilltops in our loudest voice – SAVE OUR PLANET!! and also to ourselves in our own heads, drowning out the sound of our deafening TINNITUS – time to change or forcibly become changed in ways over which we have no control!
