Tuesday, November 04, 2003
VOICES AND PREJUDICES
I don’t intend this to be a rant about prejudices. We all have them. We are either prejudiced for or against whatever. Anyone who claims not to be prejudice either doesn’t understand what prejudices are or they don’t understand themselves. The real issue is how we deal with our prejudices. Most of the time we don’t deal with them at all or we indulge them.
Maturity is discovering that about which we are prejudiced and then dealing with it appropriately.
I say all that because I faced a prejudice recently that I didn’t realize (or wasn’t willing to admit) that I had. Over many years I have been able to deal with prejudice regarding race, nationalities, philosophies, beliefs, etc. It is something to be constantly faced and dealt with. I try to do that. I can’t say how successfully.
Last week I was in a room with many other vendors. I was representing the Company for whom I have worked for many years. It was an employee benefit fair. We were at tables which lined the not-too-large room. Early in the day I became aware of the most nauseating, irritating speaking voice I have heard in quite awhile. It was coming from another vendor at the other end of the room.
Immediately my prejudice against certain voice sounds surfaced and I found myself thinking, “I don’t like that person.” Throughout the day, the more I heard that irritating voice, the more I disliked the person.
This was pure prejudice. I didn’t know a single fact about that person other than the Company he represented. But I didn’t like him. How much more prejudiced can you be? I knew nothing about him; I had made no effort to get acquainted with him. I just didn’t like him because of the sound of his voice.
Now I’m not proud of this. I have confessed it to God, hopefully have repented and I have asked forgiveness. And before the day was over, although I didn’t have opportunity to learn much about the gentleman with the irritating voice because of the busyness of the day, I had worked through my initial prejudice and no longer felt negative toward the individual.
But this whole incident has gotten me to pondering about prejudices and voices. I want to write about voices here. Prejudice has been the subject of many an essay and discourse throughout the years already.
But voices—that’s something else. There are some voices that are recognizable wherever you hear them—on the telephone, audio tape or video. The electronic media doesn’t seem to change or distort them at all. Other voices seem to be more easily distorted or at least changed by the electronic instrument.
Some voices bring pleasure the moment you hear them. It may be because of the actual sound quality of the voice. I suspect that more often it is because of the personality associated with the voice. When a loved one leaves a message I like to keep the recording because hearing that voice brings pleasure because of the love I have for that person.
Other voices are enjoyable to hear because they are so pleasantly distinctive. There are radio and T. V. personalities whose unusual voice quality has made them a lot of money—especially in the days of radio. One such is William Conrad, the original Matt Dillon of the radio version of GUNSMOKE. James Arness became famous as the T.V. Matt Dillon. But I always enjoyed hearing William Conrad on the radio. Another such personality was Brace Beemer, the original radio LONE RANGER. Again, Clayton Moore became famous as the T. V. Lone Ranger. But Brace Beemer was the original radio version. I loved to hear his voice. There are many more famous personalities whom I could name. Most reading this don’t know the above people and wouldn’t know the others were I to mention them.
Also, because I travel, I listen to book tapes a lot. I have learned to enjoy certain readers more than others. Men’s voices seem to be more pleasant than women’s voices over-all. (Some of you are going to say that is just prejudice, too. But I think there is empirical evidence to support that statement.)
On a more personal level, I recognize my wife’s voice in any crowd and at a great distance. (I am not implying that she is particularly loud. I am just tuned to her voice.) The voice of my best friend and Prayer Partner brings comfort, joy and much encouragement just hearing it. I suppose this is because of my love for these people.
But there are distinctive voice qualities that bring a feeling of confidence, security and well-being. Then there are those voice qualities that immediately arouse feelings of either apprehension, anger, irritation or uneasiness. I really don’t know why this is. I know that to some extent the affect a voice has on a person is tied to what we know or think or feel about the person to whom the voice belongs.
But that’s not always the case. (Refer to my example of the gentleman above whose voice irritated me and I didn’t even know him.)
Many years ago I was well acquainted with a wonderful, dedicated Christian gentleman. He had his “voice box” removed because of cancer. He “talked” with the aid of some device implanted in his throat. He put his finger over the hole in his throat and “talked” with a very robotic, mechanical monotone. When I first heard his mechanical “voice” it was very irritating. But as I came to know and eventually love him in the Lord, his “voice’ was no longer irritating. But I have known others whose voices always irritated, no matter how well acquainted I became with them.
*Sigh*
Then I got to thinking about Biblical references to voices. Now I’m really pondering! What did the Voice of God sound like? Adam and Eve and many of the Patriarchs heard the Voice of God. When God spoke from heaven at the baptism and the Transfiguration of Jesus that Voice from Heaven severely frightened Peter, James and John. Jesus said that the dead would hear a voice that would wake them from the dead. Revelation talks about hearing a voice from heaven that sounded like thunder and the rush of water.
So I ponder—what does the voice of God sound like? Is it pleasant? Frightening? Soothing. Maybe it depends on my relationship with God. At times the voice of my father or mother was very pleasant, inviting and soothing. But if I had done something to sever the right relationship with them, their voices were anything but pleasant! I just don’t know.
Jesus said that His “sheep” hear his voice and know Him. What does that voice sound like?
What did the voice of the Angel Gabriel, who made several announcements, sound like? Or the voice of the angels announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds?
Then, there is the “other side of the coin”. What does the voice of Satan sound like?
You know, I’ve never liked the sound of my own voice, especially on tape or CD. I have been told that no one likes the sound of their own voice. I don’t know if that is true or not. I have also heard that we don’t hear our own voices the way other people hear them.
Too much to ponder. Too much writing here! You’re tired of reading; I’m tired of writing.
But I don’t want to miss the voice of my Lord calling me, whatever it sounds like.
Jim
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