I was listening this morning to the radio, and the person interviewed made mention of his observations of younger people and their reaction to silence. He observed that most were frightened of times of silence, always being “plugged in” to technology and getting a distressed, bewildered look on their faces when confronted with silent situations.
Are you afraid of silence?
There are many of us in my generation and older who long for silence. We look forward to it, knowing full well that it is increasingly a rare experience.
Spiritual directors often remind us that unless you spend a lot of time in silence, you really cannot continue to humbly serve the Lord. They know, as thousands of years of experience has taught us, that without silence you lose touch with God present in the depths of your spirit. You loose your footing and your way without regular periods of silence.
Are we running the risk of losing our younger generation to spiritual groundlessness by either our encouragement of, or passively permitting, constant stimulation from the internet, cell phones or other forms of technology?
Are we in essence creating a fear of meeting God in the silence of one’s own heart?
There is some interesting research being done on the neurological impact of repeated and early exposure to technology of this sort, and its effect on social development. I would suspect the results of this developing area of research may also be applicable to the relational aspect of spirituality.
Turn off your cell phone today for several hours. Shut down the computer for the same length of time. See how you feel after doing so.
Nuture your family and your spirit during the downtime.
