When was the last time you experienced an extended… [Derived

0 Comments | Bismarck Tribune, Dec 21, 2006

When was the last time you experienced an extended time of silence?

Not a plopping-on-a-couch-and-vegging-out silence, nor the insufferable insomnia that nighttime can bring.

Complete silence. No sounds. No interruptions. No racing thoughts.

We’re in the season of “Silent Night, Holy Night.” We sing the carols of exultation and remember the night of stillness:

“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie, above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.”

I’ve always had trouble finding – and enjoying – silence. If I’m in the car, the radio is on. At home, it’s the TV or CD player (shuffling to one of five different musical selections).

We’re surrounded by sound: the humming of heating systems or air conditioners, the drone of traffic, the unintelligible chatter of people in public settings. We get conditioned to sound.

No wonder silence can be intimidating.

The pounding sound of a rock concert or the roar of a stadium filled with fans is more attractive to some than a perfectly still night in the starlit countryside.

Finding complete silence is a task itself. Scientists say an environment with sound below 20 decibels is considered to be quiet or silent. How easy is that to achieve?

According to a chart on measuring sound, 30 decibels is said to be a “totally quiet nighttime in a desert, impossible anywhere near a city,” while 13 decibels is the hum of an ordinary light bulb. Ever try to listen to a light bulb hum?

When we experience the lower levels of sound, we’re often unsettled.

If I wake up in the middle of the night, and sound is minimal, my thoughts sometimes will race. I worry about unfinished business, or I’m anxious about myself or loved ones. Silence and darkness heighten my angst.

That’s why we try to use silence in positive ways.

With the end of major fighting in World War I, and Germany’s signing of the Armistice, a two-minute time of silence in remembrance of those who died was held annually on Nov. 11. Silence was a national tribute.

Holy silence in Christian tradition is said to be not an emptiness of spirit but a quest for greater communion with God. St. Benedict invited fellow monks to “listen with the ear of the heart.”

In our faith communities, do we regularly make room for silence, with our ears attuned to God’s inspiration?

What this season invites us to do is to contemplate the silence of this sacred time
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