HAVE WE BECOME ALLERGIC TO ‘SILENCE?’

That title up there is portmanteau, somehow misleading. Here is why…

This article is actually about me. But read on, you may relate. As I type this, music is playing on the stereo. The TV is on. Those two have been ‘yapping’ since morning. It’s almost 6pm. Thing is, I can barely stay in a ‘silent’ house these days (Unless they cut off stima, for which I will throw tantrums). 

The other day I realized, to my dismay, that I prefer boarding buses that are playing music. Mr. Conductor, you are busy calling me to your ‘quiet’ vehicle? Just forget it, I can hardly ‘stand’ a quiet matatu.

6 days without ‘WhatsApp’

But that is just a tip of the iceberg. Last week, my phone’s ‘WhatsApp’ expired. Yes, that happens. But more frustrating is that it simply failed to download the updated version for close to 6 days! That’s almost a whole week without WhatsApp, can you imagine?

Truth be told, I was rather unsettled the first few days. I felt out of touch with the world, locked out. See, I have the privilege of being in many informative groups; where in some, news items are broken way before the rest of the world gets to know.

‘Kabambe’ Vs Smartphone batteries

But surprisingly, the feeling I got when I had no WhatsApp is the same I get mostly when my smartphone’s battery dies (By the way, why haven’t they manufactured one that can go on for  days, while all my applications are on? Oh please, don’t give me that lecture about power banks, we can do better).

What I meant to say before I was ‘politely disrupted’ is that I find it rather difficult to ‘survive’ with my other phone, a ‘kabambe. Apart from its ability to keep charge for days, there isn’t much to talk about it when compared to other phones. Its main functions are making and receiving calls, texts, and when the lights unexpectedly go off at night-Voila! You are sorted…In the streets, they call that ‘mulika mwizi’…

Here comes the allergy

On a serious note though, I think I’ve become ‘allergic’ to silence…I can’t remember the last time I had time with ‘me’. Which is rather worrying, since I now can’t even converse with others for long without glancing at my phone. 

When speaking, I always wonder what we’ll talk about next after we exhaust the current topic. You would think that after studying all those blogs/websites, I would now be very knowledgeable talking to others. Sadly, it’s not the case. And it’s not because of my memory, but that I realized I read them to pass time and ‘appear busy’. 

I’m I a keen listener anymore? Are you? Has this also happened to you? If your answer is yes, ‘we’ are in trouble, big trouble. Yaani, you simply can’t get that gadget off your hands, no matter what or who is around. Scanning through people’s ideas/opinions on the interwebs, then forgetting the next minute what you just read…Ha!

My new Venture

I now have a new venture; to try and reduce time spent on social media (Facebook, twitter, and their addictive cousins), then translate that to doing better things. In silence, I hope to positively engage my mind to see what comes off it. It could be that great idea I’ve always longed for, or better still, hearing that ‘still small voice’ from God; showing me the way.

It’s 7pm already? Time for news...Bye for now. But think about it. If you have become allergic to ‘silence,’ it's time to face it!