When I was deciding what to write about today, I felt that something was a bit off. I finally figured out that it was silent in my dorm. Silence is a highly unusual thing in a college environment, and it threw me off.
I can't remember the last time I heard silence, other than in the early morning before the day gets started. My first instinct was to turn on some music to counteract this unusual absence of noise, but then I had a realization. Silence isn't always a bad thing, it's just become an uncomfortable thing. We live in a world that does not like silence. We can use technology to have music and other noisy media available to us at any time so that we never have to experience what it feels like to sit quietly. I have become so used to being constantly surrounded by noise that I forgot that I actually enjoy short periods of silence. Not days full of silence, because those tend to make me gloomy, but brief moments of it throughout the day. I am an introvert, and I need quiet moments to mentally process things. I'm not anti-social, but I don't function well with a lot of noise and commotion for a long time. Sometimes I like to step away and have just a minute or two for myself. I used to think that was something I needed to change, but now I realize it's just part of who I am, and I'm in good company.
The Bible talks about Jesus going away to a quiet place by himself and spending time praying before he was crucified. He also spent 40 days in the desert by himself, and I would think that would involve a lot of silence. So maybe if Jesus enjoyed silence, it's not so bad that I do too. It's not something I experience often as a college student, but the next time I do, I think I will try to appreciate it instead of avoid it.
No comments:
Post a Comment