I’ve been blessed with the ability to be quite loud when I want or need to be. When I was considerably younger and involved in athletics, my teammates could hear me from across the field, encouraging them on in their efforts. Today, when I need to get a crowd at a function or church service to settle down, I can project my voice in a manner that gets the attention of most folks, allowing whatever message I am trying to convey to be heard and understood by those in attendance. Frankly, it is an ability that has been helpful, and I am grateful for it.
The challenge with projecting my voice as loudly as possible is that it is not sustainable. A few years back during our community thanksgiving, hosting the event with certain Covid-related precautions, we tried having people come up table by table instead of converging at one time. While the strategy itself was sound, it required that I spend considerably more time being loud as I had to call out each table when it was their turn to come through the buffet lines. By the end of that event, I had lost my voice and needed to stay quiet for a while (no doubt, something enjoyed by my family).
And therein lies the problem with trying to keep everyone’s attention by being loud – it doesn’t last. Even if you can somehow keep projecting for a long time, the novelty of a loud voice wears off, and people will stop paying attention. Beyond the fact that loud sounds can be quite annoying if they continue for an extended period of time, it is nearly impossible to engage in two-way communication when one of the voices is booming over any others. Being loud is good for getting attention, but it doesn’t work well for conversation. Inherently, the loud voice is proclaiming something that is felt to be more important than any other information that could be conveyed at that time, but since we all have different priorities and preferences, we might not agree with the information that is blaring in our ears. At that point, the loud voice becomes a rude and annoying interruption, and whatever message that is being shouted out becomes something that the audience will dismiss or oppose out of spite.
The volume in public discourse seems to have been turned way up lately, with an approach that relies less on conversation and persuasion, and more on attention and disruption. It reminds me of an amusing statement that I once read that declared “The beatings will continue until morale improves!” Keeping the decibel level high only serves to increase the opposition to a message, preventing the sort of dialogue that requires calm and quiet voices.
Emotions can be stirred by volume, but minds are changed when the level is lowered and we can think. We need to be mindful of Elijah’s experience in 1 Kings 19, for after God got his attention through a strong wind, a fire, and an earthquake, it was with a low whisper that God had a conversation with Elijah. God, with the ultimate attention-getting ability, understands how the human mind works. Perhaps we too should seek to lower our voices and have a conversation.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron