Silence. Our modern world is too noisy. Many complain that there is just too much noise. No peace can be found in which to formulate thoughts or to reflect.

So I decided to honor quiet day with an hour of silence just to see what was gained or perhaps lost. I discovered there was little silence to be had. The rare warm February day had many doing yard work. I heard multiple leaf blowers and children playing in their yards. Someone down the street was tinkering with their car, revving the engine to hear if it was still knocking. Yes! It is. I can hear it from here.

But as much as I wanted a simple hour to read in silence, I think it would have been unnerving. Every year in my Post-Apocalyptic Literature class, we watch The Road based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. The movie is largely silent as a little boy and his father navigate a world that has been destroyed. The father is dying, but he is trying to get his son to someone who will raise him. The world they live in leaves them speechless, the father doesn’t have the strength for words, and the boy is afraid beyond words.

You can feel the tension build with every silent minute. My students become uncomfortable. For maybe the first hour they match the behavior of the characters, sitting silently and watching the characters. But was we creep further, I notice more outbursts. The students deal with their discomfort by shouting at the characters. After the movie is over, they largely report they hated the film. It wasn’t good is commonly said. But the next day when we read the reviews claiming it is a masterpiece or “the most important film of the year”, they begin to change their tunes.

They quickly realize that it is the silence that they are uncomfortable with. And I have to admit, I, at three times their ages, find the silence uncomfortable. Why is that? When did I develop the constant need for sound? Something to examine. Is this some sort of character flaw? I have this dream of retreating to a little cabin and living a solitary life, letting the world drift on by. Is that even a realistic?

So on quiet day, I recommend just an hour of silence. It may be hard to find. Take with you a copy of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and after your hour, stream the movie. Does it unnerve you? How comfortable are you with silence?