silence

Silence

by Bob on August 25, 2007

Quiet is reasonably easy to achieve. Silence is not. True silence may not even be possible as we know it. A brilliant English classical musician and composer, Antony Pitts, once said this. He also commented that we should realise just how noisy the everyday silence we think of as absolute, really is. So, it is not silence in the absolute sense. And also so called "pregnant pauses" are imbued with meaning. And "dramatic pauses" in a musical piece are powerful in their seeming silence and quiet.

And when we say nothing, paradoxically we are saying a lot to someone else.

And when to be quiet is important to know. My grandfather used to say "children should be seen and not heard". Of course, he relaxed the rule, thankfully quite often.

In the 1994 film, "Pulp Fiction" there is an interesting interchange between the characters Mia and Vincent in Jackrabbit Slim's diner:

Mia Wallace:

Don't you just hate that ?

Vincent Vega:

Hate what?

Mia Wallace:

Uncomforable silences.

Simon and Garfunkel in their 1965 song-piece "The Sound of Silence" captured much of the emotions of loneliness and alientation in typical urban life. It also symbolised the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy which left a whole nation in speechless trauma and emotional confusion.

Some things and events are just so big and overwhelming or even traumatic that they leave us in a state of near cosmic silence.

So, Silence is Golden. True, veritable silence is not possible as we sensorily know it. Only in a meditative way. Quiet is rather difficult but attainable, though.