The Need for Quiet

The Need for Quiet

Many people have a hard time being alone with their selves these days. They have to have a constant barrage of noise and sights. This creates a problem in the human psyche. With modern technology, focus has become narrowed to electronic screens, big and small. The bombardment of sound and the amount of information coming into the brain causes an overload of the senses. And somehow, it’s addictive.

I, too, am drawn to spending hours on the computer. I love the connection to other people and while that can be great for solitary people, it is a distraction to enjoying other aspects of life. I also find it an excuse to not go out and interact face to face with people and that is not always so good. The more time I spend in isolation, the less I want to leave my house.

I end up spending a good part of the day on the computer instead of going outside to enjoy the yard or go for walks along a wooded trail. Yes, I have a great view from my window (when I bother to look up), but it is necessary for a person’s well-being to be outdoors. That’s an opportunity to connect to the earth and breathe in the fresh air.

My art work also suffers and while I do more writing and editing my own photos, I am doing less drawing and painting. The connection to the “world” keeps me more at home because I no longer have to leave the house to “talk” to others.

As human beings, we are social creatures and it is good for the soul to spend time with others. We need personal interactions to remain emotionally connected to friends and family. We need time outside to feel the connection to the natural world. We need quiet to let our souls renew and the mind to rest.

Somehow our need for connection has become skewed. The soul’s need for human interaction has given way to electronic connections. We have dozens of “friends” on Face Book and Twitter and the likes. Even when we leave the house, we have to have constant connection through cell phones. We can’t even put them down in stores or restaurants.

As much as I love the technology, I am concerned as to what it’s doing to us as human beings. I wonder how this affects our brains, our bodies and our souls.

In trying to get this written, my mind cannot totally bring it all together. I guess the bottom line comes down to the same old same old: Balance and Moderation.