"…to resign oneself to a situation in which a community is constantly overwhelmed with activity, noise of machines, etc., is an abuse.

"What to do? Those who love God should attempt to preserve or create an atmosphere in which He can be found. Christians should have quiet homes. Throw out television, if necessary – not everybody, but those who take this sort of thing seriously. Radios useless. Stay away from the movies – I was going to say ‘as a penance’ but it would seem to me to be rather a pleasure than a penance, to stay away from the movies. Maybe even form small agrarian communities in the country where there would be no radios etc.

"Let those who can stand a little silence find other people who like silence, and create silence and peace for one another. Bring up their kids not to yell so much. Children are naturally quiet – if they are left alone and not given the needle from the cradle upward, in order that they may develop into citizens of a state in which everybody yells and is yelled at.

“Provide people with places where they can go to to be quiet – relax minds and hearts in the presence of God – chapels in the country, or in town also. Reading rooms, hermitages. Retreat houses without a constant ballyhoo of noisy ‘exercises’ – they even yell the stations of the Cross, and not too far from Gethsemani either.”

“For many it would mean great renunciation and discipline to give up these sources of noise: but they know it is what they need. Afraid to do it because their neighbors would think they were bats.” (9 November 1950)

Merton, Thomas. The Sign of Jonas. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc., 1981. (originally published 1953), p. 311-312.