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If Birds Talked, They Couldn’t Fly

If Birds Talked, They Couldn’t Fly

Last updated on: September 6, 2026 at 3:10 am by Gregory T. Smith

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If Birds Talked, They Couldn’t Fly 2026-08-23T15:26:36-08:00 Gregory T. Smith

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Words can teach, comfort, and heal—but they can also weigh down the soul. What might we hear if we stopped talking and welcomed the silence?

“Words are heavy things. Like rocks. They weigh you down. If birds talked, they couldn’t fly.” (Image by No-longer-here from Pixabay)

I love the philosophical comedy-drama Northern Exposure, which ran from 1990 to 1995. The quirky characters and their deep, meaningful nonsense provoked both laughter and thought. One of my favorite characters was the Flying Man. The viewer never actually sees him fly, but he shows up in the strangest places, with no other explanation besides bodily flight. Some of the neighbors acknowledge his ability to fly, while others dismiss the claim as ridiculous.

Words are a Heavy Thing

The Flying Man is virtually silent, and nobody really knows why he rarely speaks. Yet this brief conversation between him and Marilyn has stuck in my memory for years. In three lines, it explains the mystery of human flight.

Marilyn: Words are a heavy thing.
Bob: Like rocks.
Marilyn: They weigh you down. If birds talked, they couldn’t fly.

This is true in our prayer lives, and it is true in our everyday interactions. Too many words weigh us down. They keep us from soaring on the winds of grace.

Ecclesiastes says:

Better is a handful with quiet than two handfuls with toil and a chasing after wind (Ecclesiastes 4:6 NRSVUE).

The more words, the more vanity, so how is one the better? (Ecclesiastes 6:11 NRSVUE).

The writer of 2 Timothy offers similar advice:

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness (2 Timothy 2:24–25a NRSVUE).

“Words are heavy things. Like rocks. They weigh you down. If birds talked, they couldn’t fly.” The heavier your words are, the less your soul will be able to fly.

Not All Words Are Bad

That’s not to say that all words are bad. Words can teach, comfort, challenge, and heal. But words can also quarrel, distract, manipulate, and wound. We must be careful that we’re not simply filling the silence with chatter.

Of course, silence isn’t always virtuous. Silence can protect abusers, empower injustice, and leave suffering people alone. There are times when love demands that we speak. The question isn’t whether words or silence are better. It’s whether either one serves love—or merely protects the ego.

People tend to be uncomfortable with silence. It makes us nervous because it forces us to listen for the still, small voice of the Divine within our quieted hearts. Silence makes us turn inward to examine ourselves. And when we examine ourselves, we sometimes find things that we don’t like.

So, rather than allowing silence to cleanse us, we fill our days with distractions. We break our peace with TV, radio, social media, podcasts, meaningless conversation, and other noise that distracts us. The Flying Man would caution us that too many words can weigh us down.

A Vow of Silence?

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not advocating a vow of silence. Even the monks known for silence don’t actually take such a vow. They simply restrict speech to that which is meaningful and edifying.

Trappist monks and nuns are famous for their silence, but even they don’t take a literal vow never to speak. Instead, they cultivate a generally quiet environment in which necessary, purposeful, and friendly conversation can still occur. Their practice of silence isn’t a rejection of words. It is a refusal to waste them.

As a spiritual discipline, why not try practicing a day of silence? To do this, you might have to retreat from people. If you must be around others, you can simply explain that you are limiting unnecessary conversation for the day. However you manage it, practicing silence can bring you in touch with the quiet heart of God.

Wordless Prayer

Another practice you might try is wordless prayer. I’m not talking about praying silently, where you speak all the words in your mind without letting sound pass your lips. Instead, I’m suggesting that you pray without words at all—either spoken or imagined.

Simply sit in the Divine presence, without letting words contaminate the beauty of the silence. Like an old couple sitting on the front porch together, holding hands without the need for words, just be in God’s presence. Rest in the presence of Love without needing to explain, request, defend, or accomplish anything.

Listen instead of always speaking. Maybe the Lover of Your Soul will whisper something that you might not have heard if you had been filling the silence with words of your own.

I pray that today, and every day, you’ll find some time for silence. Because it’s only when we grow quiet that we can truly hear.

For related reading, check out my other articles:

If this article gave you a moment of silence in a noisy world, consider supporting my work on Patreon. Your membership helps me continue creating breathing space for reflection, spiritual freedom, and words worth saying.

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