Don Bosco

Our dog, Don Bosco, seems not to want to be left alone to roam through the house. When alone, he chews on things, such as furniture and bedding. He barks at the window that looks out across our alley onto a ledge where the neighbor cat often sits. Even if the cat is not there, Don Bosco barks, on and on.

We made a discovery. Put on talk radio, NPR, and Don Bosco seems to quiet down. He likes the sound of voices. He is pretty good with Gregorian Chant too. It is the quiet that makes him uneasy. In his cage he is fine, but I don't want to lock him in there during the day. Maybe our dog is part of this trend among young people. Many of them do not like silence, or being alone with silence. Wow! Looks like there is no future for monastic life in this culture.

Then again, silence, and solitude could become a counter-sign to the modern Western world's need for noise and activity. As you read this, what is going on in your background? If we cannot be in silence with just ourselves, if we find this boring, then why should we expect anyone else to want to be with "just me?"