Awkward Silence? No, Not Really.

     In this technological age, something is always there to capture our attention. 

     Smartphones. Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. Pinterest. T.V. Computers. iPads. They're everywhere. All the time. With all these touch screens, entertainment is literally at our fingertips. 

     The first thing a kid does when he gets in the car is point to the TV and say, "watch!"

     In line at the drive-through, you pull out the iPhone. 

     (This one puzzles me.) A couple on the date. Both texting. I just..I don't...I don't get that. 

     Even while watching a movie, most people can't put their phone up. One source of entertainment at a time isn't enough. 

     

     Technology has intruded into every aspect of our lives, and we have welcomed it with open arms. It is not wonder, then, that we have come to fear silence. 

     There's but a brief moment, little more than a slight pause, and someone says it. Long and drawn out, in a slightly comical tone. "Aawwkwaaaarrddd."

    You've heard it. Probably a lot. More than likely you've said it yourself a time or two. Maybe more. But why? What makes it awkward? And why do we declare it awkward? Is it a pitiful attempt to alleviate the awkwardness? Do we somehow think we can make things less awkward by calling attention to the awkwardness? What is it that makes silence so awkward? Or what is it about us that makes us feel awkward during silence?

     

     In an age that is so prolific of entertainment, it is no wonder we have come to fear silence. Something is always there to capture our attention, and we're unaccustomed to silence. It's rare, It's unusual, and we don't like it. We don't know what to do with it. It makes us feel, well, awkward.

     We're afraid of that dead time in between comments, and so we anxiously say things so fast that we hardly know what we're gong to say until we've already said it. "Think before you speak" doesn't happen because thinking means silence and silence means awkwardness. We don't listen to what someone else is saying because we have to think of what to say next so that there's not a second of dead time because that would be, you know, awkward. And if we do have to endure silence for a few seconds in the midst of a conversation, someone is quick to announce the awkwardness because drawing attention to it is better than not saying anything at all.

     We have to stop this constant entertainment--this idea that something has to be going on every single second of our lives--and take joy in those precious moments when nothing is happening. Silence is beautiful. It really is. It's not awkward--or at least it's not supposed to be. But we've distorted it into something to be dreaded. We, as a society, must relearn to treasure silence. 

     This means you--yeah you--need to put up that phone and quit seeking entertainment all the time.