Alone Time

Is it possible to write something about nothing?

Day in and day out, we’re smothered with noise. Whether it’s noise coming from external sources like cars, buses, bustling crowds, and construction, or internal sources like our headphones, our thoughts, and our memories, there’s always something to listen to. 

It becomes so much sometimes that I’ve come to view silence as cathartic.

There’s a reason why people like escaping to the middle of forests, far sides of remote beaches, and less-traveled mountaintops. Of course, the natural beauty of it all is the main reason. But I feel the reason these places feel like escapes is the silence they offer. 

All you have to contend with in your escape is the chirping of birds and insects in the forest, the wooshing of waves on the sand, or the low hum of wind on the mountaintop. 

No one’s aggressively asking you to excuse them, no one’s peddling half-hearted sorries in exchange for bumps in your side in the stairwell, no one’s voice is in your head wondering if everyone else can tell you’ve had the worst morning. It’s just you and an inanimate third party.

I’m still looking for ways to bring more silence into my everyday life. While it’s hard to square that with my short attention-span and love for learning, the positive effects silence has for my mental health are undeniable. Trying to give myself more time alone – and I mean really alone, away from podcasts, TV shows, social media, and the like – is one of my goals for the last couple months of the year.

I guess the other extreme is bad too. If you're always alone and never get bloated from the noise in the first place, some excitement and togetherness probably doesn't sound half-bad. But for myself and my friends in the middle of what's supposed to be the best time of our lives every day of every week, there's a lot of pressure to always have noise around you. I don't think that's perfectly healthy either.

I hate when people chalk things up to the phrase "It's really about finding that balance" like they're adding anything meaningful to the discussion because it always is. Like maybe not for deciding if murder is okay or if racism is wrong but for most complex things in our complex society today, there's no one right answer. 

All that said, I'll be that guy and say it is about finding the balance that works for you personally between noise and silence. The difference though, is that I don't think I'm being profound by saying that you might have a different opinion than me. 

With that, I’ll wrap up and give you some time alone. If you want it.