“We have become [so] inundated with obligations, […] overwhelmed by noise, and the onslaught of news and information, surrounded by clamor and meaningless conversations, all buttressed by our culture’s supposition that action is preferable to inaction, busywork to idleness. Too many of us have bought into the idea that the pursuit of happiness is in fact the pursuit of pleasure. Somehow we have become estranged from quiet and have developed not only a low tolerance for it, but an almost outright fear of it.
Not too long ago, periods of reflection and stillness were woven into the fabric of our days as we washed dishes, prepared meals, chopped wood, mended clothing, and walked in contemplative silence. Technology has not only accelerated the pace of our lives, it has made our lives noisier and destroyed their peaceful rhythms.
Noise is a form of violence done to us, but have become so accustomed to it that it barely registers, like a car alarm that blares on and on but which no one heeds. Sound systems have become part of our communal landscape, inescapable in supermarkets, shopping malls, ball parks, elevators, coffee shops and restaurants, office waiting rooms, and hospitals. It’s as we have come to believe that silence is a void that must be filled whatever the cost. We no longer know how to be still. We no longer know how to be alone. We seem to require constant and relentless input. We are addicted to sensory over stimulation.“
– Anne D. LeClaire, Listening Below the Noise, A Meditation on the Practice of Silence
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