I work in a place where there is a constant barrage of noise throughout the day. That’s one of the reasons I find it hard to do a podcast or record my song compositions. There will always be some kind of noise that somehow creeps in, even in times when you think it’s already silent.
A car would suddenly pass by, children would laugh and shout, dogs bark from a distance, or a vendor would suddenly announce one’s passing. Being near the main road, there is also that occasional siren of fire trucks headed to an emergency location.
As a writer, I do need times of silence for creativity.
And there are times when I find it hard to focus with all that noise around.
To remedy the situation, I sometimes resort to wearing earplugs. In a way, they somehow block excess noise from the environment. They won’t be as loud as they would have been without the earplugs I wore.
But sometimes, even that is not enough. Because although the sound is lessened, I could still find myself distracted by the random noise I hear.
To this, the solution I came up with is to listen to “pink noise”. Pink noise can simply be referred to as that constant background sound that is not bothersome nor distracting to the ear. Because they encompass sound waves across a wide range, they tend to cover the distracting random noise you hear.
Examples of pink noise include the sound of water such as the sound of falling rain or the sound of a waterfall. This kind of noise is not noise at all if you classify all noise as disturbing. This is because pink noise is soothing. Some people even use it to help them fall asleep.
In our spiritual life, I think we also need this kind of soothing sound amidst the disturbing noises in the world.
What are these disturbing types of noise?
1. Fear
All around us, we may hear news or read about articles inciting anxiety and fear. As as result, we worry instead of trusting in God.
We constantly worry about peace and order in our country. We feel anxious about the rising prices of goods. We can even be afraid about environmental changes that threaten our world.
2. Anger
We hear all sorts of things to be angry about. At times, we hear about the anger of those who feel offended by the teachings of the Church.
While it’s not wrong to be angry at evil, we should not allow unrighteous anger to dwell in our hearts.
3. Temptation
Temptation is like a noise that intrudes upon our souls. As the world grows more and more secular, we can be influenced with wrong teachings and ideals.
If we are not careful, we’d let these tempting arguments against our faith to ruin our very souls.
The Pink Noise of Faith
It would be very hard to simply put our earplugs and silence these noises that disturb our spiritual life. What we need is to fill our spiritual ears with pink noise that will drown out these sounds altogether.
What are some pink noise we can put on to protect our faith?
1. Spiritual music
Listening to hymns and sacred music is one way to block the secular noise around us. By listening to religious music, our souls are lifted up to focus on God and His goodness. We are encouraged to praise Him and we are reminded of the importance of faith over the material concerns that often disturb our peace.
2. Prayers
The sound of our sincere prayers rises up to heaven and is pleasing to God. At the same time, prayers cleanse and strengthen our heart and soul. By prayer, we communicate in spirit with God and we give ourselves the opportunity to listen to His voice.
3. Bible reading
The Bible’s sacred texts are alive in truth and wisdom. They can dispel the errors that abound in the world today. They also bring us closer to Jesus, especially through the Gospels. There, we can listen to His words and cling on to them instead of allowing the noise of the world to destroy our faith.
What Is The Pink Noise In Your Spiritual Life?
Amidst the disturbing noise of the world, what is the pink noise that you can put on today to help defend your soul?
It isn’t enough to simply try to ignore the sounds that harm our souls. We should also listen to that pink noise that encourages us, defends us from error and leads us towards spiritual growth.
May you find healing, inspiration and peace through the pink noise that brings truth, faith and wisdom in your life!
“But I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge in the day of my distress.”
-Psalm 59:16 (NRSVCE)
You may also want to read “Why Singing Hymns Is a Powerful Way To Revive Our Christian Life”
Jocelyn Soriano is the author of the book Defending My Catholic Faith.
“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” – 1 Peter 3:15 (NABRE)
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