There is Beauty in the Silent
Noise becomes a symbol of productivity and life in this day and age. We hear
noises of our family members, the noises of our friends, strangers, to our
teachers, bosses and colleagues. We then spent money to buy gadgets that
produce best noises we want like boom box, speakers, headphones, mobile
phones, iPhones, laptops, and the list goes on. These noises spread in a
supersonic speed to reach hears of individuals nearby. Whether we listen to
rough noises or soft noises, whether it is human noise or industrial noise, they all
seems to impacts our life either in positive or negative way. At the end, it seems
that we function well in noisy environment than in silent.
Noises are good since we are social being. God made us to have fellowship with
one and another. Without communication or listening to proper noises, we would
dysfunction as humans. Some people try to isolate themselves to live a holy life or
to be alone. Such life of isolation can have serious psychological disorders. It may
make one lunatic or fanatic. It can also revive and revitalize a person to be more
productive and dynamic than before.
But it is hard for us to deny that noises do influence us. It doesn’t matter it’s a
sound of village boys footsteps or military force. Or it’s a sound of a battle cry or
sound of a butterfly folding its wings, they send a powerful messages that impacts
our life.
On the other side of life, imagine a life that has no human or manmade noise. It’s
just a total silent atmosphere. There are no industrial machines to produce mass
sounds or for children to cry. But silent atmosphere where natural environment
surrounds you. There’s a gentle cold breezes fanning all over you, refreshing your
external body and innermost soul. You are sitting under one of those lovely
canopy of evergreen trees. The flowers blossoms just below you producing
beautiful colors. You’re watching the rays of shooting sun lights coming through
those branches. Just at your right, you gaze at that beautiful bay. It’s like you’re
resting there surrounded by natural splendor.
Impressed by the delightful scene, you begin to ask, what is life? Who am I?
Where do I come from? Where do I belong? Where am I going? What am I
supposed to do now? You begin to explore into some of the important and
deepest questions in life. You begin to grasp some of the simple ideas that
becomes fundamental and you are thinking hard on them as ideas pours like rain
drop. They keep coming, the train of thoughts. You began to appreciate the silent
and natural atmosphere more from this moment than ever before. All because
you realize what natural environment and silent gives you. You have travelled
yourself within few hours the length and breadth of discovering concepts and
answering though questions in life under those lovely canopy of evergreen trees.
Before ending this piece, there is indeed beauty in the silent. If we commit 1-2
hours twice a week or every day enjoying nature and contemplating about some
of the meaningful and crazy ideas out there in the silent, we will find life more
meaningful than before. It all depends on how we use natural environment and
silent for our own benefit. Noises are good but we must balance noise with
nature and silent.
Bible is a library of its own. Opening its pages is like diving into one of those
pristine environment where one begin to discover most of life’s vital questions
answered. Even more grandeur than silent environment, is individual spending
time alone discovering God’s path of righteousness. There’s a pristine
environment where you hear angels singing Hallelujah to the Most High God.
There’s an ever flowing healing river that can heal all your emotional and physical
illness. There’s a tree of life within that golden city that you can eat one of its fruit
and will live forever. In that city, the sun, moon, and the stars never shine. Yet the
beams of incredible glory of the Lamb fills the atmosphere.
It’s like a symphony. You hear songs of 144, 000 victorious people who have won
the battle with the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of his testimony. You
begin to see issues of life as you watch your ancestors disobey God and leave
their home. Then you see a home in which evil and suffering exists and each
person living under the sun trying to escape but there’s no way. There’s only one
way you see is an old rugged cross upon a hill top. There rescuing angels guide
people to a narrow road that leads to the golden city as they plead for help. You
realize that it’s worth spending silent moments studying the Word of God which
helps you discover issues of life were noises of this world impeded. It gives you
firm principles to live by and a steady path to take to save yourself to be found
worthy in the golden city of the Most High.
Dear friends, let us waste no time to pause from the meaningless noises of this
world and enter into that pristine world to hear the Great God of the Universe
speak to us. Let us listen to Him faithfully to shape our thinking and destiny for
eternity. For He said, “Be still, and know that I am God,” (Psalm 46:10). There is
beauty in the silent indeed.
By Sinias Ray
Dogura Dobu Adventist Church Minister
Port Moresby