“Noise creates illusions. Silence brings truth.”
— Maxime Lagacé
When my son Tommy invited me to join him on this social media journey, I was filled with both joy and apprehension. The opportunity to partner with my son is deeply gratifying, yet why would I want to jump into the congested and choppy waters of social media? Why would I want to be numbered among hundreds of thousands of opining heads?
Then, a distant memory came to mind.
Immersed in the pounding sound of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song, the mania of partygoers trying to converse above the volume with the smell of marijuana and beer wafting aimlessly about, I wondered how, amidst all this, I could make a substantive human connection. A bit dejected, I strolled over to a piano tucked into the corner of the room, sat down, and began playing...quietly. Hardly a note could be heard, yet I persisted in my solace. It wasn’t long before a female friend came over and asked, “What are you playing?” The connection I sought was found and the ensuing conversation, which oddly seemed not to compete with the noise around us, was rich with emotion and meaning.
It was then that I discovered something profound: I could be in the noise but not of the noise—a spiritual truth I would later embrace as a key life tenet (John 15:19, 17:15-17; Romans 12:2). My “noise” at the piano was not unique but distinct, compelling someone to join me in a quieter place where something deeper could be recognized and embraced.
That is the ethos of this journey on social media—to compel others to stop, to think, to ponder and not be swept away by the noise.
It’s not simply the expanse or intensity of the cultural noise we face, nor the excess of hateful speech and conspiracy theories—those are merely symptoms of an insidious undercurrent. Instead, we face a nuanced force rooted in and bearing the fruit of fear, more akin to the lyrics of the song that trumpeted through those Bose speakers so long ago:
“So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins, for peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing.”
Our world is strewn with ruins, yet there’s still time to rebuild an objectivity that enables us to find peace and trust. I invite you to join me at the piano; to step out of the noise, to stop and think, and ultimately find solace in the heart of the Divine.
Comments