Solitude and Silence

I read a quote from A.W. Tozer today that aptly describes my life, even though it was written some 40+ years ago. It's hard to find solitude and silence in today's hustle and bustle of life with television, cell phones and, especially, the Internet.

Modern civilization is so complex as to make the
devotional life all but impossible. It wears us out by
multiplying distractions and beats us down destroying our
solitude, where otherwise we might drink and renew our
strength, before going out to face the world again. "The
thoughtful soul to solitude retires," said the poet* of other
and quieter times; but where is the solitude to which we can
retire today? "Commune with your own heart upon your bed and
be still,"** is a wise and healing counsel; but how can it be
followed in this day of the newspaper, the telephone, the
radio and television? These modern playthings, like pet tiger
cubs, have grown so large and dangerous that they threaten to
devour us all. What was intended to be a blessing has become a
positive curse. No spot is now safe from the world's
intrusion. The need for solitude and quietness was never
greater than it is today. What the world will do about it is
their problem. Apparently the masses want it the way it is,
and the majority of Christians are so completely conformed to
this present age that they, too, want things the way they are.
They may be annoyed a bit by the clamor and by the
goldfish-bowl existence they live, but apparently they are not
annoyed enough to do anything about it.
... A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), Of God and Men [1960]

* from Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, stanza IV
** Psalm 4:4b (KJV)