Tip-Off #194 – The noise of silence

There’s too much noise. We all feel distracted, erosion of focus, and pull to the wrong thing. We avoid the zombies absorbed into the streets, but we only realize that we are one of them. We regret a group of 4 at the restaurant. Each one is defeated on the screen, causing a fuss in his pockets. Technology encourages “absence.”

The same goes for politics. Beyond the spectrum, from left to right, we became prisoners of anger and reaction. The sight of conflict draws our attention while being caught up in actual personal involvement. It is difficult to participate in the debate when all parties rely on dislike the enemy. But the noise gets bigger, but it tries to ignore it.

We long for peace and quiet: silence. Silence is not a simple answer. Sound scientists say it depends on how emotional noise is handled inside. We have Sonic Culture An identity that echoes outside. It’s hard to hear when we can’t hear our own dissonance.

Think about the modern workplace. In the new open office, workers don’t talk much to avoid listening. Participants mute themselves in a conference call. The situation is so problematic that the BBC’s finance department introduced a “human matter machine” to perform tape chatters and laughter to improve concentration and workplace situation.

“Optimal cognitive function requires consistent neurocognitive involvement,” declares the neurobiologist. Working from home can blur the boundaries between productive concentration and mere self-absorption.

Meanwhile, silence sells. Consider noise-cancelling headphones, digital-limiting apps, meditation retreats and quiet spaces at the airport. These products reduce environmental noise and protect people, providing relief from the growing world and high-tech companies competing for attention.

While looking at Bluesky instead of X/Twitter, and writing more than ever, we denounce smartphones and social media for our attention, and as a result, we train our kids. Good advice is for kids. Meditation techniques and practices are becoming increasingly popular, and monasteries welcome record numbers of setbacks running from the otherwise unsupported digital world. This can make the problem worse. The problem with many of our beliefs and most valuable ideals is that they are soundproof.

For more than 30 years, Pico Ire retreated to the monastery of Big Sur. During these quiet times he found a spiritual space that would help him write thousands of pages, including his new bestsellers. aflame: Learn from silence. Iyer shows that the quiet mind needed for an active life is not only about running away, but also about doing real work. It requires patience, practice and the ability to hold back on yourself. Trappist spiritual leader Thomas Keating said, “God’s first language is silence. Be prepared for the silence of the “center of prayer.” If anything else happens, it’s not your problem, it’s his problem. ”

My path to “center” came through participation in the Society of Friends (“Quakers”). For several years, I attended silent meetings for weekly services. No one spoke unless he was inspired by the “inner light” (the spirit of God). This was completely different from the pulpit-centric preacher-controlled worship services I knew.

At first, it was difficult to sit still. Silence was a battlefield where mischievous thought threatened its sublime. The hug I was to try so hard to stop. Trying to keep quiet was like trying not to think of a penguin.

“Inner Light” has proven true. From the blue, I came up with the famous Beatles song, let it be. “Whisper words of wisdom. Let me do that.” Silence is not a restraint. Disrupt positive thinking. Lean on your weaknesses. Let’s make “noise”. Let’s have confused thoughts. Let’s raise questions. Run the course like a drain like bath water. Anything– Nodded, not falling to the floor.

Unless I try to turn it off, it’s as if silence doesn’t get mad at the noise. Make silence a noise. Rumi, Sufi Mystic said, “Stop the weaving and see how the pattern improves.” Our senses’ vision sharpens in silence.

“Silence” is extremely sentimental, “centered” and “mindfulness” a new religion that “surrounds itself by Ballyhoo and resonates with Pico Iyer’s experience. When we try to stop doing that, it’s true.

Noise is not a barrier, but the moment when something just flourishes, it flourishes teeth. Sometimes it’s bigger than night news. Sometimes I can barely hear it. Wisdom is about knowing how to listen before tuning.

Notes and reading

Audio Communication -Barry Truax (Second Edition, 2000). Interrelationship between individual emotions and the external world of sound: how this relationship affects the “acoustic community” and is nervous about the lack of acoustic diversity. As a professor at Simon Fraser University, he bridges sound, technology and culture.

Extinction of Experience: Being a Human in an Unconcrete World -Christine Rosen (2024) – “The existence of absence.” The main experiences – face-to-flask communication, sense of place, authentic emotions, and even boredom – are virtually extinct. Rosen is a Fellow at the Institute of Cultural Studies at the University of Virginia.

Matter Machine – “Is the office too quiet?” Christian Science Monitor (October 26, 1999).
New apps offer Colored sound frequencies A specific mood and environment (for black noise, characterised as “deep space” such as white noise, pink noise, brown red – it is almost quiet and there is an occasional signal).

“God’s first language is silence.” – Thomas Keating, Open your heart, open your heart: the contemplative dimension of the gospel (Anniversary edition, 2023). Father Thomas Keating (1923-2018) was a Trappist monk, priest, and influential spiritual teacher who nurtured central prayer, a meditative practice rooted in the Christian tradition.

“Four reasons why you shouldn’t always play to your strengths” – Forbes (February 1, 2018).

“Stop weaving and see how the pattern improves. ” – Lumi, translated by Coleman Burks and John Moyne. The essential Lumi (Expanded Edition, 2004) – Bestsellers from all Rumi Books.

Practical mystical -Addison Hodges Hart (Substack). Rather than treating mysticism as purely abstract or otherworldly, it integrates spiritual insights into ordinary life. Hart is the author of 11 books, both non-fiction and fiction. Retired parish priests and university pastors. Eastern Orthodox Church.

Tip #193 – Traditional chaos

Tip #192 – It makes sense

Approximately 2 + 2 = 5