As I write this, I’m sitting in a hotel room in Seattle, 20 floors above ground. All around me are buildings housing Amazon. I can see Puget Sound from my window. I am here to present at an academic conference, and have the wonderful bonus (honestly, from my perspective it is the primary reason for being here) of visiting with my daughter and son-in-law.
A television graces one wall, a complete waste for me since I never turn one on in a hotel room. It’s big enough to sleep on if it lay on the floor.
The big TV that travelers here probably use to distract themselves. (Photo by the writer)
I think most people keep one on all the time (maybe especially when they travel) because they don’t like quiet. I value it. I love home and would much rather be there, but if I have to be away I prefer quiet in my room. For me, it is the best part of travel—quiet time away from the crush of people in the airplane, the hundreds of people at the conference, the constant barrage of background music in the lobby, the incessant buzz of conversation and business bustle in the restaurants. I value the quiet.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before: we are all away from home. The hymn says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through.” We look forward to going home, but in the meantime we live as exiles, integrating into the world around us.
God told the Jews going into Babylonian captivity:
The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims to all the exiles I have carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; cultivate gardens and eat what they produce. Get married and have children; then help your sons find wives and your daughters find husbands in order that they too may have children. Increase in number there so that you don’t dwindle away. Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare. (Jeremiah 4:4-7)
Like a good hotel room, this is home away from home. We probably spend too much time in distraction while we’re away from home. I’m not saying spend all of your time in quiet. Engage in the world around you. But remember to build in quiet time while you’re here. It is one of the most valuable things while you are away from home.