© 2014 The Wired Word
www.thewiredword.com
Most people find being alone even briefly with their thoughts and with no
distractions -- no smartphones, no music, no reading material or anything else
-- unpleasant. And some would even rather give themselves electric shocks than
sit alone thinking for even six minutes.Those are the findings of a series of 11 studies conducted by psychologist Timothy Wilson and some colleagues at the University of Virginia (UVA) and Harvard University. The abstract for the report, published in the July 4 issue of Science magazine, summarized the results as follows: "In 11 studies, we found that participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, that they enjoyed doing mundane external activities much more, and that many preferred to administer electric shocks to themselves instead of being left alone with their thoughts. Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative."
Participants in the study ranged in age from 18 to 77. They were told to entertain themselves alone in a room just with their thoughts, or to imagine doing one of three pleasant activities like hiking. Regardless of age, most showed no fondness for being alone and thinking. On a 9-point scale of enjoyment, their average rating was about in the middle. They "consistently demonstrated that they would rather have something to do than to have nothing other than their thoughts for even a fairly brief period of time," Wilson said.
In one phase of the study, 61 participants were allowed to spend their alone time (six to 15 minutes) with their thoughts at home, and about a third of those people admitted that they "'cheated' ... by engaging in some activity, such as listening to music or using a cell phone, or leaving their chair," Wilson said. "And they didn't enjoy this experience any more at home than at the lab."
In another phase of the testing, participants were given the option of administering a mild shock to themselves by pressing a button. Before embarking on their time alone, they all received a sample of the shock, and most said they would pay to avoid being shocked again. Nonetheless, when placed in a room alone with their thoughts and no other distractions, 12 of the 18 males (67 percent) and six of the 24 females (25 percent) gave themselves at least one electric shock during the 15-minute period.
"What is striking," the investigators write, "is that simply being alone with their own thoughts for 15 minutes was apparently so aversive that it drove many participants to self-administer an electric shock that they had earlier said they would pay to avoid."
Wilson does not attribute the findings to the pace of modern society or to the ready availability of electronic devices. Rather, he posits that the devices may be a response to the common wish to always have something to do.
"The mind is designed to engage with the world," Wilson said. "Even when we are by ourselves, our focus usually is on the outside world. And without training in meditation or thought-control techniques, which still are difficult, most people would prefer to engage in external activities."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Doing Something Is Better Than Doing Nothing for Most People, Study Shows. UVA Today
Study: Just Thinking by Yourself Isn't Much Fun. WNCT
Just Think: The Challenges of the Disengaged Mind. Science (Abstract and Editor's Summary can be viewed, but a subscription to Science is required to access the actual report)
The Big Questions
1. From a spiritual-life point of view, is it important to be willing to spend time alone with no distractions? Why or why not?
2. If you find it unpleasant to spend prayer and/or devotional time alone -- with or without aids such as a Bible or devotional handbook -- does that mean there's something wrong with your level of commitment to Christ? Or if you find it unpleasant to spend time in corporate worship or individual outreach -- does that mean there's something wrong with your level of commitment to Christ? Explain your answer.
3. If we find quiet time difficult or unpleasant, does that mean we should look for some other way of connecting to God? If so, what other ways might there be? If not, why not?
4. Does one's personality type have any bearing on the benefit one receives from solitary, distraction-free time? That is, might an introvert benefit more than an extravert? (Introverts "recharge" by being alone. Extraverts do so by being with others.) If so, what does that suggest about one-size-fits-all prescriptions for a devotional life?
5. What "life signals" might be obscured by the noise of our electronic way of life? What important and/or pleasant "life messages" might be obscured by the culture of "multi-tasking"?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
1 Kings 19:11-13
Now there was a great wind ... but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him ... (For context, read 19:1-18.)
Job 38:1
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind ... (For context, read 38:1-7.)
These two passages provide an interesting contrast. In the 1 Kings passage, Elijah does not hear God in the noisy wind, earthquake or fire, but only in the sheer silence that followed them. In the Job passage, however, Job heard God from the clamorous whirlwind. Clearly God doesn't need silence to connect with us.
Questions: In what circumstances other than silence have you heard God's personal message to you? When has silence contributed to your hearing God? Conversely, when has music, noise or even cacophony elevated your awareness of God's presence -- think "1812 Overture" in Chicago right before the fireworks go off on the Fourth of July, or Niagara Falls, or the glory of a crowded street in London or Los Angeles, or a shared victory at a sports stadium -- and what are the shared qualities of silence and sound? Is it possible to appreciate one without the other?
Job 13:13
Let me have silence, and I will speak, and let come on me what may. (For context, read 13:13-19.)
This is from Job, in the midst of his suffering, speaking to his three friends who seem feel the need to speak instead of remaining silent, as they had done for seven days previously, in respect for his suffering (Job 2:13). Their comments have not been helpful, and Job is here saying that rather than claiming to know God's point of view about his suffering, they would be better to remain silent.
Questions: Does suffering have a message that requires silence in order to be "heard"? When in the company of friends, do you feel the need to fill "empty" space with speech? Is that a good thing? Why or why not? Do we sometimes drown out the needs of the world with our need for distraction?
Psalm 4:4-5
When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD. (No context needed.)
This passage refers expressly to being "disturbed" (the underlying Hebrew word can also be translated as "angry"), but it says that rather than sin (presumably by acting rashly based on one's emotions), one should "ponder" -- think about -- the disturbance in the silence of one's bed. On the surface, that sounds like the recipe for a sleepless night, where one obsesses about one's troubles, but the verses are referring to communing with God and trusting him.
The Message version of the Bible perhaps makes it clearer for our day: "Complain if you must, but don't lash out. Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking. Build your case before God and wait for his verdict."
Questions: In what ways do you air your troubles and disturbances with God? In what ways do you receive his peace? Do you regularly set aside a period of silence during your prayers to wait for God's reply? Do you leave space in your prayers, individually or corporately, for God's possible reply?
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God! (For context, read 46:8-11.)
Although this verse would seem to be a call to meditation or relaxation, that's not the intent. Actually, it should be heard in light of verse 9 -- "[God] makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire." In that context, verse 10 means something like "Stop! Throw down your weapons! Depend on God and not yourselves! He will end the conflict."
Questions: In what sense is depending on God rather than ourselves the source of inner calm? Why do you think we need to be commanded to be silent? Name a time when achieving stillness, however difficult, has led to insight or direction.
Luke 10:41-42
Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her. (For context, read 10:38-42.)
Jesus said this to Martha after she complained that her sister Mary was sitting and listening to Jesus rather than helping Martha with her hospitality tasks. Jesus wasn't saying there was anything wrong with Martha being busy and active; there would have been no hospitality for him at their house if she had not been. The problem Jesus pointed out was that Martha was "worried and distracted by many things." That's different from being calmly focused on action for the sake of the good that can result.
Mary's silence in this case was the quiet of listening.
Don’t forget, for all her busyness, Martha makes the most astounding declaration of faith in the Gospel of John account of the raising of Lazarus. (See John 11:20-27.)
Questions: In what ways can you develop the quiet of listening for God? How do we balance all the "Martha tasks" in our lives so it is possible to, in good conscience, have "Mary time"?
For Further Discussion
1. Respond to this, from TWW team member Frank Purvis: "In 1991, I spent a week in Kentucky at a Catholic monastery called the Abbey of Gethsemani. That week [impressed] upon me the need for silence for prayer and worship. It was a confrontation of the 'spiritual noise' in my life as a Christian -- not just the noise of phone, cars and TV, but the noise of my own thoughts and trying to prescribe to the Lord what I wanted him to do in my life. It was a challenge for me to sit still and just pray, 'Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner.' Not so much 'let go and let God'; rather it was 'let go and let God be God.'"
2. TWW team member Heidi Mann comments, "Often God seems to speak to me more through my interaction, conversation and activity with other people -- or through my reading or writing -- than when I sit in silence. I don't think silence and meditative/devotional reading of Scripture or other faith-related writings are mutually exclusive. Often, quiet, thoughtful reading sparks new openness to the Spirit in me and I 'hear' something from or about God that I haven't before." When it comes to listening for God, is there anything inherently better about sitting in silence than about engaging in activity?
3. Comment on this: There is a 17th-century devotional classic titled The Practice of the Presence of God, written by a lay monk named Nicholas Herman but known in the monastery as Brother Lawrence. He was assigned to work in the kitchen of the monastery. He gave himself to paying attention to God's presence even while going about his kitchen duties. He found himself more and more able to do this and eventually found, "That time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I enjoy God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament."
4. Respond to this, from an unidentified writer in the Taizé Community (an ecumenical monastic order in France): "At times prayer becomes silent. Peaceful communion with God can do without words. 'I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother' (Psalm 131:2). Like the satisfied child who has stopped crying and is in its mother's arms, so can 'my soul be with me' in the presence of God. Prayer then needs no words, maybe not even thoughts."
5. Comment on this, from TWW team member James Gruetzner: "Since we are made in the image of the Creator, no matter how corrupted that image may be, perhaps it's fair to say that we are created to be active and engaged with the creation and with others. God is very active, as is his creation, and the universe is replete with all sorts of activity and even noise. Even a vacuum is not empty, but is filled with the creation and annihilation of all sorts of particles -- not to mention the radiation/photons zipping through. On the other hand, God also rested when his work was complete, so resting is also part of the 'image of God.'"
Responding to the News
If you're struggling to sense God's presence, and you take stock and realize that you are constantly busy, constantly on the move, constantly taking in information or just noise, this might be a good time to find a place and time to get quiet and still and really listen for God's voice in your heart. It might take a while to get comfortable enough with silence to sense God's presence -- it might take a few days or weeks. But it just might prove meaningful to your walk of faith.
Closing Prayer
No comments:
Post a Comment