Silence

I’ve been driving an hour+ each morning and evening for almost four years now. I’ve had a routine of sorts. Listen to the CD player (jazz, audio Bible lesson, gospel) for about forty minutes, then switch to the local radio station for the morning news.

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been driving in silence for forty minutes and then listening to the news.

I’ve noticed something strange:

I feel more at peace.

I’ve been more creative.

I’ve thought through some personal anxieties.

I’ve prayed more.

Silence is a rare commodity these days. Most people are constantly on their phones, plugged into music, playing video games, or watching television. Noise is all around us at work and in our homes. I’ve even talked with friends about how much louder children seem to be these days. I think it’s because so many of them are forced to compete with something else. They carry on conversations against a backdrop of television and appliance noise. They must be loud to be heard.

My morning silent time began as just a happy accident. I was bored one morning because I had forgotten to change CDs and so I didn’t bother with them. The next morning I just felt like thinking. The third morning I really didn’t want to impose on the silence. And so a new routine has begun.

I wonder how many people would benefit by purposely adding some silence to their daily lives. I certainly recommend it.