Seeking Silence

An interesting op-ed appeared in this Sunday's The New York Times, entitled "The Joy of Quiet," by Pico Iyer. In it, Mr. Iyer describes some of the ways in which people today are turning away from the increasingly hyper-connected world in which we now live.

According to Mr. Iyer, the root of the issue appears to be a kind of ignorance on how best to use the remarkable connections modern technology has made possible. "The central paradox," he says, "of the machines that have made our lives brighter, quicker, longer and happier is that they cannot teach us how to make the best use of them; the information revolution came without an instruction manual." As a result, we have "less of ourselves...to give every snippet," and "the distinctions that used to guide and steady us--between Sunday and Monday, public and private, here and there--are gone." 

Looking to escape the noise, people are increasingly seeking ways to detach--even for just a few hours-from all the data and chatter. Things like disabling the Internet for eight hours straight, taking online "Sabbaths," or going on long walks without a cell-phone are just some of the ways people are using to create some distance between themselves and their technology. According to the op-ed, there are now even "Internet rescue camps" for children addicted to the computer-use in China and South Korea. 

On the whole, it seems apparent that humans need both chatter and quiet; why we've increasingly substituted noise for silence is not really clear, though perhaps it's for similar reasons some people try to schedule every minute of the day. The logic goes that if no time is wasted, more will be accomplished. It's an attractive idea, but I don't think it's true.

In my experience (and perhaps in your own), attempting to be productive all the time usually turns out badly, particularly when attempted over the course of several days. Perhaps some people can work all the time, but I've yet to meet them (which doesn't mean they don't exist). The point is, Mr. Iyer makes a good case when it comes to us and our technology; it can be both a blessing and a curse. The key seems to be striking a balance between the positive and negative of effects of heavy technology use.  

As it turns out, time away from your phone/computer/television etc. may prove exceedingly beneficial. As described by Mr. Iyer, Nicholas Carr, author of the book, "The Shallows," contends that subjects who spent time in, "quiet rural settings...'exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper.'" 

This is a potentially-valuable piece of information, and may help explain why so many people are looking for some off-line time; particularly in "quiet rural environments," such time appears to helps our brain work better.  

So in sum, a little quiet time away from technology is probably quite valuable. Our time is one of extreme connectivity, which can make it difficult to unplug. Yet constant information is almost certainly bound to leave a mountain of data without a pebble of meaning. Clear thinking likely requires both. Something perhaps to consider. 

Happy Monday, friends :)