A Hymn for Silence

 

If nothing else, the Age of Information has belched out a buttload of entitled blockheads who demand the most current news incessantly. In a world where data is disseminated at rapid-fire speed, this is entirely possible. Countries may go to war at Vampiric hours cloaked under cover of darkness, speed and secrecy for all the good it does given that even children in the remotest corners of civilization can follow the age inappropriate content in real time with a smartphone and an internet connection via firsthand accounts and live videos that pop up within seconds on their Twitter or Instagram feeds from all possible angles and perspectives ranging from foot soldiers and victims to politicians and press personnel.

Opinions and counter – opinions are aired at breakneck pace in a voluminous outpouring guaranteed to blow up already besieged braincells filled to bursting with the information overload that needs to be processed and absorbed all the time, rendered at demented decibels. In fact, it is only a matter of time before AI appraises us of earthshattering events before they have actually occurred allowing humans to alter the course of history by worsening tragedies while clumsily attempting to avert them, making it even more newsworthy. Traditional media, struggling to stay relevant, doggedly emphasize expertise, accuracy and corroborated date from official sources while battling accusations that their integrity has been compromised and they are the drooling poodles of the rich and powerful on either side of the ideological divide. Even so, newspapers still show up on doorsteps, television news anchors rant on though rendered redundant by OTT streaming services and these as well as news websites are consumed by those relegated to dinosaur status. As for the rest, it is all about what has gone viral or is currently trending on social media.

Amidst the clamour and cacophony, there are calls for censorship since no child should have to witness another child’s execution style murder being live streamed from Gaza or the graphic details about the travails of an adult film star who needed to be hospitalized after a backdoor challenge that went horribly wrong. On occasion, there is a hue and cry against the proliferation of misinformation and fake news released by the well – intentioned armed with incorrect info or trolls/bots acting in bad faith to boost false narratives. In response, a few sane voices drowned out by declamatory dunces urge caution when it comes to indiscriminate consumption, suggest cross – checking by leveraging multiple platforms, and urge the prioritizing of nuance, complexity and authenticity. These are fighting a losing battle. There is no algorithm that can censor or verify facts over the sheer speed of content sharing on social media and no substitute for dwindling common sense.  

Ironically, reliable information is a scarce commodity now. Beset by fear and fatigue from too much alarming news, no one can stand the noise anymore. And yet, we have grown acclimatized to the clamour and are active collaborators in the chaos. Above all else, we need silence. For it is only in the stillness that we can reclaim our lost souls and invaluable power of introspection. If we can bear the calm and quiet after the pandemonium we have been partying to, we might just survive. If not, we don’t deserve to.