THE VALUE OF SILENCE

We all know I'm the Queen of Oddball Shows. I enjoy peeking into the lives of strangers on reality TV--probably so I can be glad I'm not them!

This time I've come across a show on YouTube called The Abbey. It's an Australian program from 2007 about 5 women who enter an abbey and try to live like the nuns for 33 days. Absolutely fascinating! It took me a few weeks to get through all 12 segments, but it really started the cogs turning.

Though the nuns do speak sometimes, they emphasize silence and listening with the heart. Without cell phones, computers, music, and random noise, the ladies had a chance to hear what was going on inside themselves. Plus, the nuns went to prayer 7 times a day--of course that would help!

With so many distractions, is it possible that I try to drown out my own deeper thoughts and issues? I adore my technology and find I can't go without the TV, texting, email, message boards, blah blah blah. It's almost like being a shopaholic, or any number of other -aholics, where the addiction becomes a substitution for dealing with life.

Since watching the show, I've been conscious of how much time the television is on. After all, how many times do I need to hear the same news reel? Do I really need to keep my mind racing with outside stuff? I'm looking for treasure in the silence as I take more time to pray and think, without someone else directing my thoughts.

FWIW, the women who went to the abbey came out changed. Some found a belief in God, and others at least started to deal with their lives by acknowledging the problems.

Question for you: have you ever given up your technology for any length of time? Do you have any extended period of silence during the day? What do you glean from it?