Noisy

Most people are afraid of that which is not noise.

Afraid of the stillness. Of silence. Of their own thoughts. Of remembering. Of coming to terms. Of facing the truth without the help of a magic pill or a handy distraction.

Most people are afraid of life beyond the reality shows and the radio shows and the music and the texts and twitter and Facebook and the drama and the false friends and the toxic relationships and endless and fruitless race to consume as much information as possible.

There is no shortage of noise, that is for sure. Noise can be drugs or alcohol or food or endless partying. It can be over-work or under-play. Noise is about addictions to that are physical and emotional. It can be saying yes to every noisy question that comes your way.

It’s about wanting more of that which is already too much. And truth be told, dealing with the reality and the life beyond the noise can be scary as hell.

What would they find there? The pains that need to be healed. The hurts that must be processed. The past that cannot be changed. The future that is uncertain. The mistakes. The need to forgive. The inability to let go. The absence of magic answers and unicorns. The screw-ups. The lies. The trauma. The regret. The bad time. The last time. The only time. The never. 

Beneath and beyond the noise is a world of vulnerable. It can be teary and puzzling and empty. The noise masks all that is real and raw and true. The noise, in theory, allows you to not have to deal with any of that. The noise give you (false) power over the real.

Yea, right.

Noise is a barrier. A false shield. An instrument of fear. A lie that many of us hold on to for dear life.

I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. I’m also not telling you “turn down the noise” or “get in touch with what lies beyond.” That is so not my place. I am sharing with you what I know based on what was once my reality. I know it is hard to turn down the noise, to turn away from it. It is hard to say “no” to it and “yes” to a new reality show that is all your own.

I know what it is like to put noise between myself and a real reality. And I know that shit doesn’t work.