Silence, Solitude, Stillness: The Spiritual Disciplines We Need in a Noisy World

We live in a world of pervasive noise. Even when we're alone and our surroundings are quiet, our devices bombard us with an endless stream of inputs — messages, news, opinions, entertainment — and we feel constantly connected.My guest argues that this lack of both silence and solitude isn't just generating stress and fragmenting our attention, but doing real damage to our souls. His name is John Mark Comer, and he’s a pastor and the author of Into the Quiet. Today on the show, we discuss what noise is doing to the deepest parts of us and how engaging in silence and solitude can help us cultivate inner stillness. We explore the monastic tradition behind these spiritual disciplines, why engaging in them can sometimes feel like a negative experience, and what happens when all our usual distractions disappear. We also get into simple ways to bring more quiet into everyday life.After the show’s over, check out the show notes at aom.is/silence.Resources Related to the PodcastGet the Book: Into the QuietJohn Mark's previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #1,013 — Practicing Spiritual Disciplines as an Act of ResistanceJohn Mark's Previous Book: Practicing the WayAoM Article: The Spiritual Disciplines — Solitude and SilenceClear Creek Abbey in OKNew Camaldoli Hermitage in Big SurA Time to Keep Silence by Patrick Leigh FermorConnect With John Mark ComerJohn Mark's website0:00 Introduction1:33 What Prompted "Into the Quiet"5:42 Soundless Noise in the Digital Age7:39 What Noise Does to Our Souls11:02 Loneliness vs. Solitude13:57 Cultivating Inner Stillness19:02 The Eremos: Jesus' Practice of Solitude23:58 The Desert Fathers & Monastic Tradition29:06 What Happens in the Silence39:17 Confronting Inner Demons in Solitude47:36 Practical Ways to Practice Silence & Solitude51:47 OutroSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.