Recently a young adolescent walked through the mall, boldly displaying the following message on his t-shirt: Allergic to Silence. Accompanying the words on his shirt were pictures of earphones, speakers, and the latest hand-held music producing device.

Allergic to silence, the shirt announced.  Really?

Upon reading this message, questions began to surface in my mind. Was this young man attempting to be funny or was he wearing a bold statement about his chosen way of life? Was he alone in his sentiments or was there a brigade of others who shared his attitude? Was he part of an advanced guard that signaled the arrival of a new world order? Was he proud of his professed allergy or did he feel bad about not being able to experience the joys and blessings of solitude? Did he want to be cured or remain controlled by his affliction? Did someone buy that shirt for him to send him a message or did he buy it to send a message to others?

Allergic to silence? “Nobody could be allergic to silence,” I thought. And then I thought again and I remembered that within the last two weeks…..

• At a friend’s house I heard the TV playing in one room while we attempted to carry on a meaningful conversation in another.  When I pointed out the noisy distraction, my friend responded, “Oh, I keep it on all the time. It keeps me company.”
• I arrived on schedule at the dentist’s office for a cleaning. In the waiting room the TV was on. The person next to me was listening to two people argue vociferously in front of Judge Judy. Then the judge loudly scolded them both and the scene faded to an even louder commercial. When the TV watching patient was called in to see the dentist I turned the TV off and began to read. A new patient arrived shortly thereafter and immediately turned the TV back on. His interest? A cartoon with characters hitting each other and loudly proclaiming their superiority.
• When my turn came to have my teeth cleaned the dental hygienist in charge of that function did her job to the accompaniment of Christian radio. I suspect the radio was on all day at her work station.
• Later in the day I stopped for a red light. A young driver pulled up next to me and entertained me with the boooom, boooom, boooom of a carefully selected base setting on his car radio. Rolling the windows up in my car did not prevent this sound from reaching my unwelcoming ears.
• When I stopped to get gas, the pump began talking to me about the advantage of bonus points and all the good deals I could find on merchandise in the convenient store. It took me several commercials to find the mute button.
• Later in the week I took my horse out on the trail for a nice quiet ride in the woods. Nice and quiet until the dirt bike crew arrived and raced up and down the trails eliminating the solitude that existed moments earlier.
• On a recent plane ride to St. Louis I was seated in front of a businessman who chose the boarding process to make a business call. Several of us heard his comments as he complained to the person on the other end of his conversation about the state of customer service these days and how people just are not in tune with the needs of others. The irony of his comments were not lost on me or on the person sitting next to me. We quietly smiled at each other.
• A canoe glided slowly through the water. The only sounds were those of the water against the canoe and paddles rhythmically pulling the canoe ahead. A quiet lake in Northern Michigan. A nice place to experience nature and her natural sounds. Then the Jet Ski couple entered the scene. Solitude over. Noise just getting revved up.

Allergic to silence. Today I am thinking this allergy has turned into an epidemic of unexpected proportions. Is it time to take preventive measures or prescriptions to get well? How can we make sure this allergy to silence doesn’t reach us?

Last night I built a fire in my fire pit and sat with a friend as we watched the fire burn down to coals. We enjoyed quiet conversation, some solitude, and each other’s company.

What do you do? How do you make sure you aren’t caught up in the silence allergy? Please share your favorite prescription.

Chick Moorman