The Sound of Silence

The sound of silence can be so loud it is deafening. If only the world knew what I knew or could hear what I hear. The battle is not external the battle is from within. My voice is low to the point it is not even heard anymore. I have been band to silence because know one really cares what I think or how I feel anyway. The silence is so loud I could scream and no one hears it but me.

Even though we are surrounded by family and friends it is impossible to know exactly what is going on inside the walls of someone else's life. We think we do, we assume we know, we put together the pieces of the puzzle so we can convince ourselves we know, but the truth is we simply do not know. Even greater is the fact that in reality we do not want to know. Knowing means we have to act responsibly and that action may mean we have to get involved in walking a life journey with someone we may call family or friend. In this day and age we love to share kind words, well intended quotes, wonderful advice, but seldom will we ever get in the trenches. The battles we face we face alone.

It is strange how we find comfort in the outward appearance of others. In our minds we may even be thinking how good they are handling a particular situation yet inside that person is in a tangle of torment wishing death would give them the relief they seek. As I write almost daily about hope and how important it is to sustain a meaningful life. The pursuit of hope for many ends the moment they wake up. Anxiety, expectations, and heartache come alive at the same time our conscience state appears for it's daily duties. All the memories, the why not's, the what if's, all the demons arise when the mind arises. Hope never has a chance and the sound of silence is to loud to handle.

Be a friend today, see past the silence, feel as best you can the pain of a shattered dream, the shame of a fall from grace, the loss of a loved one, the financial collapse due to downsizing, poor health for whatever reason, and the loss of faith because no one cared enough to listen. These are real life issues facing people you come in contact with everyday. It may even be you facing this. We can ease the pain by being considerate enough not to judge but lend a helping hand.

The sound of silence is so quiet and all I want to do is have someone listen because they care. My battles are my battles but sometimes just talking them out makes them smaller than they really are. Give someone a chance to reduce the size of their enemy. Care enough to share. Silence leads to depression which leads to lost hope which leads to a life with no meaning (in the eyes of the silence).

This is a conversation that I shared with someone nearly a year ago. He lost his life long companion due to an extended illness. His family and friends outwardly were amazed at how well he seemed to deal with the loss. Inside he was wrought with the pain of thinking he did not do enough to comfort and love her in her final days. His torment was so loud inside him yet so silent to the world. He attempted in vain to discuss it with some close to him but their words were always to share a nice Bible verse or offer a prayer at a later date. No one sought to understand or feel what he was going through. Time marches on as does life, yet in his eyes time stood still and the desire for life ended. The sound of silence was to loud to handle.

This story is not unique, even though it is true it is played out all around us every single day. In a world so connected by electronic devices we are so disconnected to the world around us. It is more important to tweet, post, text, or watch videos than to take the time to truly care. It is great that we have found new ways to connect with family and friend however let's never forget that the simple touch of a hand, the sound of your voice, the sight of your smile, and the warmth of a hug has more meaning than any technological communication you will ever have. I do not know how loud your sound of silence is I just hope that together we can all choose to make a difference in someone's life today. Pay it forward and your reward will be very special.

peace to you
Dale