Sunday, June 19, 2011

The Beauty of Silence

Lately, I have been through a few things that inspired me to start writing on a blog. A few of my friends have them and it seemed like a pretty good way to share my own thoughts.

In everything I do lately, I try to find the positives, even in bad situations. Recently, I was faced with a few of my own character flaws, or what I used to think were flaws. I'm not the wittiest. I'm not good at "on-the-spot" things (I like to be able to think about things before I answer). I often have a hard time thinking of the exact words to use to describe things. If I get into an argument or heated discussion, I often walk away from it thinking, "I should've said.." or "I wish I would've thought to say..". I used to be incredibly shy when I was younger because I was afraid that I would say or do something and then people would make fun of me because maybe it didn't come out the way I intended it. I think I have carried a little of that with me as I have gotten older. As a culture, we base a lot of our relationships on the depth of conversation we have with someone or how entertaining the other person is. But, isn't it just as much of a plus if we can just sit with someone, in silence, and be comfortable with it? Today, I was driving, alone with my own thoughts, and I started thinking about the topic of "silence". I have always loved my quiet time. It's a time when I reflect on past events, daydream, and think about life in general. In today's world, it seems as though the beauty of silence is a thing of the past. Technology has led us in the direction of ubiquitous sound. In conversation, everyone dreads the awkward silence because either party feels as if it should be filled with something audible. But what's wrong with silence? To me, if I can sit with someone in silence and be totally comfortable and relaxed, isn't that more of a blessing? Falling in love with someone because of the conversation is great, but falling in love with the mere presence of someone seems to be a gift from God. This is not just the case with romantic relationships. Friends or family members that are able to make you feel better with just their presence alone are angels. Never take them for granted. Silence is rare, get used to it!

I would love comments or thoughts about this topic if you have any!

1 comment:

  1. Couldn't agree more...being slow to speak is truly a blessing (so I've heard, I'm still working on that..). "...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.." James 1:19 (also talks about taming the tongue in James 3). It's easy to lash out and say things without thinking, I think it is a blessing that you aren't able to easily do that, it has probably saved you from saying some hurtful things! Great first post, keep it up :)

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