It’s ironic that while our means of communicating have proliferated, our ability to communicate in person has diminished. I’m convinced that unless we cultivate silence in our lives, our communication with others will suffer.

Where once there was silence within the home, there is noise. Children, of course, create all sorts of noise, and that noise definitely impedes communication between adults. But there is a more insidious noise that accompanies our electronics and devices.

Besides the pings, rings, dings, and chimes that accompany messages, alerts, and alarms, there is the noise of podcasts and an endless stream of talking heads. There is music of every sort. Movies, videos, games—more and more and more! And it’s all available and accessible 24/7.

Similarly, the television, which was once relegated to waking hours, now broadcasts or streams content all hours of the day and night. We can blithely move about our days from room to room, home to car, car to store, restaurant, or workplace, and take our noise with us, even as we walk to and from.

This noise stifles natural conversations. When the relative quiet that naturally encourages interaction is absent, we withdraw, knowing it’s not an opportune time for dialogue.

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