I had the occasion to be in several
waiting rooms the past week and found the same annoyance in all of them.
Blaring televisions, usually spouting a certain unintelligent 'news' station.
It's damn aggravating. And people are just riveted, staring at the black box on
the wall, drool dripping down their chin. Well, I may have exaggerated the last
part, but not by much. Vacant eyes and vacant gaze.
When did we start undervaluing the
benefits of silence? Is internal contemplation so painful we have to fill every
waking moment with noise? Am I alone in
preferring my wait time not be populated with background blather? The worst I
do is read a book, check Instagram for pretty pictures, or do some navel
gazing. And I'm trying to phase the book and phone out and just use the time
for a little mindfulness practice.
Several people mentioned to me my
place of work should have some background music in the office. Oh, hell no.
First comes the inevitable fight over country or pop. (Nobody listens to the
blues anymore.) I would hate the constant, insidious noise leaking into my
brain. Worse if it was a radio station with its irritating commercials and
shouty preaching. I pity retail workers, especially at holiday time. How many
Rudolf's can one person take before they snap and stab a customer with a candy
cane?
Silence. Consider cultivating some.
Embrace it. Reflect. What would it hurt? You may learn something, or may just
learn the lack of noise makes you very uneasy. All progress. Or you can be like
me when you find yourself alone in the waiting room. Reach up and snap the
television off. If you can't reach, unplug it.
There, I feel better already.
2 comments:
Earplugs,always have them in my pocket.
And I bring a book for my rare waiting room visits.
A great way to tune out that stupid news(?) channel that begins with a "C"......
Using earplugs also helps save my sanity in loud crowded stores like Walmart,(think screaming brats, etc)
But you have to be extra vigilant,so you don't get run over by a smart phone zombie,yakking while trying to "drive" a shopping cart!
Silence is not appreciated, that's for sure. But how would people who have never sat in silence long enough to discover its gifts know that? It's not that it's painful; it's unfamiliar at this point in our culture. To sit quietly without doing something is truly a lost art that we need to resurrect. Maybe your example will pique some curiosity in someone else.
Post a Comment