Most people on planet earth have never heard the sound of silence. They have never been in a location that was totally devoid of sound created by humans.
If you want a challenge, try to find a place where you can experience total silence without any sound pollution. It's nearly impossible.
In this picture, I have set up camp several hundred miles off-road in the Empty Quarter of Arabia. We are far enough into this remote section of desert that most of the vestiges of humanity are absent except for our campsite. After the sun goes down, and you lie on your camp cot, you can sometimes hear the sound of silence. If you hold your breath, you will hear absolutely nothing. Total silence. This rare moment doesn't last long because high above your head the faint roar of a distant aircraft pollutes the silence with sound.
Now that I am back in "civilization" working, there is no silence in my life. No matter where I am, there is noise everywhere. Nearly every day, I hear boom cars thundering out hundreds of decibels of noise polluting my not so silent world. They can thank God that I don't have a Predator drone with a load of Hellfire missiles. I don't know if I could resist the urge to obliterate their megawoofers as they inflict their sonic assault on innocent bystanders.
The sonic assault isn't just on the street. Since I came back to "civilization", I carry ear plugs to church to protect my ears from the "divine decibles" pulsating from the stage at the front of the auditorium. The music is so loud that I roam through the back of the auditorium trying to find a safe haven where the surround sound can't damage my hearing.
Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I like the sound of silence. The only time I ever feel like I am near God is in those infrequent silent moments that are so hard to find. For me, the only way to hear God's voice of love is to become silent and listen.
My cathedral is out in the desert hundreds of miles from "civilization" where I can experience total silence. When a bird flies by, it's so quiet that I can hear the flutter of his feathers in the wind. When I'm out there, I'm standing on sacred ground.
As night descends on our campsite, I feel like I am in a cathedral that stretches from horizon to horizon. I have a front row seat on eternity as I survey the night sky; many of the stars that I'm looking at died out millions of years ago, but their light is only now reaching our side of the milky way galaxy.
In the silence and splendor of the moment, the trivial events of my life fall away, and the important things come into focus. And if I listen to the sound of silence, I just might hear God's voice of love.
Awesome music video that captures the essence of what it's like to sail offshore in a catamaran around the world when conditions are less than perfect. David Abbott from Too Many Drummers sings the vocals, and he also edited the footage from our Red Sea adventures. This is the theme song from the Red Sea Chronicles.
Sailing up the Red Sea is not for the faint of heart. From the Bab al Mandeb to the Suez Canal, adventures and adversity are in abundance. If you take things too seriously, you just might get the Red Sea Blues.
If you like drum beats, and you like adventure, then have a listen to the Red Sea Chronicles Trailer.
Flying fish assault Exit Only in the middle of the night as we sail through the Arabian Gulf from the Maldives to Oman. And so begins our Red Sea adventures.
Sailing through Pirate Alley between Yemen and Somalia involves calculated risk. It may not be Russian Roulette, but it is a bit of a worry. Follow Team Maxing Out as they navigate through Pirate Alley.
Stopping in Yemen was just what the doctor ordered. We refueled, repaired our alternator, and we made friends with our gracious Yemeni hosts. We also went to Baskins Robbins as a reward for surviving Pirate Alley.
After you survive Pirate Alley, you must sail through the Gate of Sorrows (Bab Al Mandab) at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The Gate of Sorrows lived up to its name with fifty knots of wind and a sandstorm that pummeled Exit Only for two days. Life is good.
Although I like the feel of a paper book in my hand, I love trees even more. When people purchase an eBook, they actually save trees and save money as well. Ebooks are less expensive and have no negative impact on the environment. All of Dr. Dave's books are available at Save A Tree Bookstore. Visit the bookstore today and start putting good things into your mind. It's easy to fill your mind with positive things using eBooks. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can pull out your smart phone or tablet and start reading. You can even use electronic highlighters and make annotations in your eBooks just like paper books.
