The Sound of Silence

There is a room at Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis, Minnesota that will drive you mad. One person has been able to withstand the room for 45 minutes, but most can't last more than thirty. Some people can't even make it inside the room at all. It’s not the color of the walls or the decorations that drive people bonkers. In fact, it isn’t what the room has that causes the effect; it is what it doesn’t have, sound.

This room holds the Guinness World Record for the world's quietest place. The anechoic chamber, which means "no echo", is able to absorb 99.99% of sounds. The sound level in the room is negative 9.4 decibels, but humans can hear sounds only above zero decibels (an average quiet room is about 30 decibels). It is so quiet that many people find it unbearable to stay inside since and it often disorients people or causes them to hallucinate. Other senses are amplified without the reflection of sound off the walls, and without these reflections, balance is thrown off and there are no cues for a person to orient themselves. The complete disorientation is just too much for a person’s system to handle.[i]

You might not think silence would be so hard for us but in reality, we have a hard time staying quiet. We have to talk, to say something. We need the fill the void, even if it means saying or doing something unnecessary. We struggle to keep our tongue still.

Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

Ecclesiastes 5:2

You see that in how we react to the events of the day. Even without the facts, many feel the need to express their opinions on topics. Everyone has an answer even when there are no real answers. We talk all around it. Take after take is given, arguments are made but nothing is ever solved. Our talk is an attempt to control what we know we can’t have control over. Many words attempt to fill the emptiness, but the void of the unknown absorbs them all.

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.

Psalms 62:1

The psalmist understood it best. Rather than spew forth empty word, we need to embrace silence. God’s senses are beyond our capacity. I might not be able to handle the world but he can. Rather than try to mumble my way along, I can find more real comfort in waiting on and trusting in God. He is in control, no matter what I say.

[i] Knowledge Stew, Volume 2 by Daniel Ganninger

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