Thursday, February 3, 2011

Silence

I don’t think enough people appreciate silence, in public or in private.

Conversationally, people in this society seem afraid to allow silences to fill conversational gaps. A famous scene in Pulp Fiction comments on this, suggesting that when you find someone with whom you can share a truly comfortable silence, you’ve found a worthwhile connection. I feel the same way. Not every second of a social interaction needs to be filled with dialogue. It kind of goes along with my earlier posts on narcissism and false sincerity; we feel obligated to use speech to make things as dense as possible. But I think silences are crucial—they not only allow for moments of true and thoughtful reflection, but they also contribute a sort of juxtaposition, making speech all that more meaningful.

In our private lives, most of us are obsessed with avoiding ambience. For some, this is a way to escape loneliness or perhaps to diminish a fear (especially if they live alone). But it seems like my friends, my coworkers, and my relatives seldom allow themselves to remain in silence upon entering their house for more than a few seconds. They enter the door, then immediately turn on a stereo or a television. Again, I understand the appeal, but I think it’s a habit that basically prevents us from appreciating otherwise pure moments, and diminishes any sort of period of reflection we may have had.

And especially in public, people are generally far more obnoxious than they need to be. At the risk of sounding biased on age, I feel like young adults are the worst at this, when in groups of three or more. Too many public groups feel the need to repugnantly project their voices and laughter as loud as possible. They hold no regard for the people around them and seem almost dedicated to making as much noise as they can. Perhaps it’s just my own selfishness and easily-distractedness that’s making me feel this way, but I think society could stand to lower the volume a notch or two.

Then again, “if the music’s too loud, you’re too old.” It’s likely just the crotchety old man in me shaking his fist at whipper-snappers that can concentrate more easily in loud environments. But I hold by my point that most of us could do with a little more silence in our everyday lives. It’s serene, and generates thoughts that may otherwise be unexplored.

24 comments:

  1. silence is totally awesome. i love when i can lay in bed and hear nothing at all. in public its even better but tht rarely happpens :/

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  2. Well put, and to the point, I read it aloud, with a slight amount of disdain and she really liked it.

    You should consider novel writing.

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  3. God damn I hate uncomfortable silences!!

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  4. I tend to find silences awkward. In coversations and other social situations, that is.

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  5. you are partially right. Sometimes I feel like this, and I'm 18... but anyways, when you are in a group, you don't notice that you are being loud, but when you are on your own you do.

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  6. Im ok with silence, however, I love music too much, I hardly do anything without music playing in the background. When i apply to go to college here in nevada, SATS we couldnt have anything, so that really affected my performance

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  7. What a interesting text. Too bad i can't enjoy silence, don't know why..

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  8. I can't stand the people that have to point out that there is silence. There's a group of people that I go to bonfires with that shout "AWKWARD SILENCE" the instant that someone starts talking.

    Hey, relax. I don't want to flap my lips 24/7.

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  9. I agree but, uncomfortable silences are horrible

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  10. this is what i think about every night before falling asleep

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  11. I love silence from time to time. It's great. You can be more aware. Even the slightest sound is magnified.

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  12. I tend to find that my mind wonders way too much when I'm surrounded by silence. A little ambient noise ends up being just enough of a distraction to keep me focused on whatever I'm trying to do. This is especially true when I'm working.

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  13. My room is right next to the highway. Noise is a friend. I can't take being alone in my head. I start thinking, and that's dangerous.

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  14. i just had this conversation with a friend a while ago after we had a long awkward time to just sit in silence even though it was awkward after it was comforting just to be there

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  15. Silence kinda weirds me out, makes me aware of everything going on around me, it's a little unsettling.

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  16. I agree with the notion that if you can comfortably share a silence with someone, then they are a true friend.
    Just like how conversation can still flow with effortless ease.

    It seems ridiculous that we should need to constantly make small talk to avoid these 'awkward' silences.

    Though, the public itself is obnoxious. Asking for quiet in public is a pretty pointless idea.
    We are all loud and obnoxious when we want to be, but then again we concern ourselves far too much with politeness and political correctness to do it often, and personally I find that disregarding what you're 'supposed to do' is a great thing, and everyone should try it sometime.
    I think it's all about balance. We all have different days, I guess.

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  17. I'm fine with silence, but I can't stand the weird noises you always hear, like crickets or floorboards creaking. It's creepy.

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  18. Silence is golden, love it so much, almost too much sometimes, haha.
    Great post though, defintely following! c:

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  19. Thank you for making me feel less alien in society. I find myself only hanging out with a very select few friends nowadays because they seem to be the only ones comfortable with silence. It's so difficult for me to hang out with people who constantly need to be doing something or talking. Granted, I love having entertaining and riveting conversations, but that's rarely the case with a majority of people I know, sadly.

    It seems to me that people are just afraid to be left with their own thoughts. I am so glad you pointed this out about people because I seriously felt like no one else felt this way about silence.

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  20. haha so strue. I can almost never get enough silence.

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