When I first read Stuart Sim’s “The Assault against Silence and Why Silence Matters”, I was astonished how much I agreed with his argument. Analyzing my own relationship with technology, I began to realize the extent to which technology affects me. Without doubt, I rarely spend time in absolute silence – a state of being that Sim says is required for thoughtful reflection. However, the fact remains that silence is difficult to experience in a culture of noise.
Through further examination of both my relationship with technology and our culture of noise, I have come to an impasse. Is it possible that our culture of noise has transformed our abilities for thoughtful reflection? Can our culture today, in fact, reflect without silence because of its continued exposure to noise?
As I type this, I am surrounded by noise (the computer, the radio, the creak of my chair), reflecting on a subject I have read about and discussed in class. Can my response still be deemed thoughtful although my environment is far from silent? I think so.
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