C
Christphr
Guest
Modern culture disdains (at least discourages) quietness.
Why?
Why?
Last edited:
- Status
O
otjm
Guest
Before answering that, can you show that “pre-modernity” did not discourage it, or encouraged it?
C
Christphr
Guest
I have the observation that where you find people leading busy lives using technology this seems the case.
Last edited:
L
Lara
Guest
Modern culture is too big a term. There are pockets of all kinds of cultures. For instance, there are Amish people in America who probably do value silence.
But if you mean mainstream secular culture, the answer is you can’t make money off of people who are quiet and content.
Whole industries are devoted to stirring up discontent, such as the makeup industry which makes women feel they aren’t beautiful if they haven’t bought foundation, concealer, skin cleanser, moisturizer, and many more products.
But if you mean mainstream secular culture, the answer is you can’t make money off of people who are quiet and content.
Whole industries are devoted to stirring up discontent, such as the makeup industry which makes women feel they aren’t beautiful if they haven’t bought foundation, concealer, skin cleanser, moisturizer, and many more products.
0
0Scarlett_nidiyilii
Guest
Maybe people are afraid to face reality, and so they keep themselves distracted by many noises.
U
UpUpAndAway
Guest
I can’t answer for all of “modern culture,” but I know many people who can’t bear silence precisely because they are afraid of what they might find in it.
O
otjm
Guest
That, however, does not answer my question. By implication you seem to be saying that without today’s technology, people did not disdain (or at least discourage) quietness.
So I repeat: can you show that pre (technology, since you use the term) people did not disdain (or at least discourage) quietness?
So I repeat: can you show that pre (technology, since you use the term) people did not disdain (or at least discourage) quietness?
Last edited:
H
HeDa
Guest
When people are spending time in silence they will start thinking about their actions and relationships. Then they might discover that they don’t have, what we Christians call, a pure heart, and that is very scary indeed. So the easiest way to block out those thoughts are with being busy and having constant “noise” around them.
It’s true @Christphr .
We live in a world which shuts out quietness .
Why ?
Maybe silence disturbs too much .
Maybe we have become too wedded to technology , a great source of noise .
And unfortunately it’s crept into our churches , into our minds , into our hearts .
" Our busy, ultra-technological age has made us even sicker. Noise has become like a drug on which our contemporaries are dependent. With its festive appearance, noise is a whirlwind that avoids looking oneself in the face and confronting the interior emptiness. It is a diabolical lie. The awakening can only be brutal." (Cardinal Sarah)
Cardinal Robert Sarah on “The Strength of Silence” and the Dictatorship of Noise
www.catholicworldreport.com
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
G
graciew
Guest
I do not know for sure. But here is my thoughts
I know that life seems more hectic in big cities than away from them where there is some rest from midday to 5 pm.is “ sacred”
Also, that productivity may be misunderstood as when even Sundays are work days .
Another reason for me is an over competitive world where more is demanded from say children as an unreasonable succession of extracurricular activities usually coming from the desire of parents and not as much as the need of the child.
As there is a more pressing need for higher and higher education . Say when high school was enough at some time , now almost a masters’ is a requirement( exaggerating but you may get the idea…)
Consumerism, bombarded with “ needs” that we do not really have so shopping is available all the time. The visual has increased its area of influence: ads, technology…
All in all I think…that we receive more info than we can process or we really need and that causes to get into a loop of heaven knows what that makes us restless and craving for more.
It is necessary to hop off that speedy train at times because sometimes we do not even know where we are going.
Unwind…
I know that life seems more hectic in big cities than away from them where there is some rest from midday to 5 pm.is “ sacred”
Also, that productivity may be misunderstood as when even Sundays are work days .
Another reason for me is an over competitive world where more is demanded from say children as an unreasonable succession of extracurricular activities usually coming from the desire of parents and not as much as the need of the child.
As there is a more pressing need for higher and higher education . Say when high school was enough at some time , now almost a masters’ is a requirement( exaggerating but you may get the idea…)
Consumerism, bombarded with “ needs” that we do not really have so shopping is available all the time. The visual has increased its area of influence: ads, technology…
All in all I think…that we receive more info than we can process or we really need and that causes to get into a loop of heaven knows what that makes us restless and craving for more.
It is necessary to hop off that speedy train at times because sometimes we do not even know where we are going.
Unwind…
Last edited:
Tis_Bearself
Patron
These generalistic observations you make about hugely broad topics are coming from your own opinions and are mostly just…overgeneral. It is hard to form a response when one gets the idea that the point is just to condemn things in society that the OP doesn’t like.
G
graciew
Guest
Yes, it is my thoughts and observations.And even “modernity” for these thoughts is thinking of my dear grandparents and life at the time and today.
As my thoughts and post are totally discardable, ‘'Tis. Nothing too scientific
.
And now I get what you are saying about “ modernity “ and the insistence and recurrence of the use of this “ word” here and what for…
Thanks, Tis!
As my thoughts and post are totally discardable, ‘'Tis. Nothing too scientific
.And now I get what you are saying about “ modernity “ and the insistence and recurrence of the use of this “ word” here and what for…
Thanks, Tis!
Last edited:
V
Vico
Guest
S
SuscipeMeDomine
Guest
There is a lot of noise around, both visual and aural.
It seems like ads or screens appear everywhere. Even if you’re someplace where you’re already buying there are ads for other products. While you’re pumping gas there are ads playing on a screen on top of the pump. At the grocery store there are ads posted inside the shopping cart. It used to be that the doctor’s office was quieter but now there’s A TV playing (though so far with closed captions rather than sound).
If there isn’t sufficient noise around, people add their own with o music or the TV playing in the background. I think people are really uncomfortable with silence. I notice in my small faith community that if the prayer we are doing is silent rather than vocal, people start shifting around in the seats or flipping pages in the book.
But at the same time, how many apps and instructions are there for meditation and deep breathing exercises. We load ourselves up then turn around and try to undo things and retreat back into silence.
I’m just rambling.
It seems like ads or screens appear everywhere. Even if you’re someplace where you’re already buying there are ads for other products. While you’re pumping gas there are ads playing on a screen on top of the pump. At the grocery store there are ads posted inside the shopping cart. It used to be that the doctor’s office was quieter but now there’s A TV playing (though so far with closed captions rather than sound).
If there isn’t sufficient noise around, people add their own with o music or the TV playing in the background. I think people are really uncomfortable with silence. I notice in my small faith community that if the prayer we are doing is silent rather than vocal, people start shifting around in the seats or flipping pages in the book.
But at the same time, how many apps and instructions are there for meditation and deep breathing exercises. We load ourselves up then turn around and try to undo things and retreat back into silence.
I’m just rambling.
blackforest
Well-known member
Your question seems to point to the ubiquity of noise as a cultural preference.
I would argue that it’s more of a habit than a preference, and that we largely had no say in how noisy everything became. Here’s a great article on the topic. Looking Around - On Sound (Part 1): Noise | McMansion Hell
I would argue that it’s more of a habit than a preference, and that we largely had no say in how noisy everything became. Here’s a great article on the topic. Looking Around - On Sound (Part 1): Noise | McMansion Hell
O
on_the_hill
Guest
I used to like to buy gas for my car at night. Even though there may be background noise, it was all incidental noise. Believe it or not, I found it peaceful.
A couple years ago the gas station started playing music all the time. I wasn’t too upset, but the peace and quiet was gone.
A few months ago, it started playing LOUD commercials on the video screens at the pumps. I hate it. Absolutely hate it. The barrage of music, ads, loud talking: LED colors… it’s just too much.
A couple years ago the gas station started playing music all the time. I wasn’t too upset, but the peace and quiet was gone.
A few months ago, it started playing LOUD commercials on the video screens at the pumps. I hate it. Absolutely hate it. The barrage of music, ads, loud talking: LED colors… it’s just too much.
E
edwest
Guest
Each of us can choose how much noise we want. That’s why God made DVR’s
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Silence-Against-Dictatorship-Noise/dp/1621641910
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Silence-Against-Dictatorship-Noise/dp/1621641910
G
goout
Guest
Union with God presupposes detachment from ourselves. We are consumers of all kinds of things: pleasure, power, entertainment, knowledge…none of which are evil per se. But to the degree they redirect our attention away from God they prevent us from holiness. We as a people are impatient to satisfy our senses, and in this time we have unprecedented ways to do this through various kinds of communication.
In silence (not just from sounds, but also silence from all appetites) we can come more face to face with God. That can be intimidating. And it causes us to let go of that which satisfies our senses. That is hard to do. I like Pascal’s quote:
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone”.’
Silence is worth the effort.
In silence (not just from sounds, but also silence from all appetites) we can come more face to face with God. That can be intimidating. And it causes us to let go of that which satisfies our senses. That is hard to do. I like Pascal’s quote:
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone”.’
Silence is worth the effort.
Last edited:
1
1Lord1Faith
Guest
I avoid those gas stations.
J
JimG
Guest
In my earliest childhood, we had no television. We had a radio but it was usually turned off. The only noise was from my mother or father or brother. Sometimes I would lie quietly in my room reading. Sometimes I would go outside and lie in the hammock. We weren’t quiet all the time. But the ambient background noise was from other people. But now, there is always some background noise, TV, radio, some distraction.
When my future wife and I went out to a classy restaurant to celebrate our engagement, the place was quiet. No background music, no loud conversations overheard. The room was structured for quiet semi-privacy. We could carry on a conversation. Now, I can’t find a restaurant where anyone can have a conversation without shouting.
When my future wife and I went out to a classy restaurant to celebrate our engagement, the place was quiet. No background music, no loud conversations overheard. The room was structured for quiet semi-privacy. We could carry on a conversation. Now, I can’t find a restaurant where anyone can have a conversation without shouting.
- Status