“Music and silence—how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since Our Father entered Hell—though longer ago than humans, reckoning in light years, could express—no square inch of infernal space and no moment of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but all has been occupied by Noise—Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile—Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it.”
CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
I have a sign in my classroom that says “Don’t Be Afraid of Silence”. Granted, it took doing a 4 day silent retreat in college for me to get the message. But I do hope my kids learn it earlier than I did.
Careful Don. You’re going to offend the chattering classes.
I suspect they’ll never figure out that the truly powerful speak less, not more. Think Jesus in front of Pilate.
Seminarians at St John Lateran Church in Italy singing Credo in Latin
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMlmLktIfRa/?igsh=MTkydXEzY242YzN6eg%3D%3D
Like my wife often says of technology, especially buttons – why does everything have to beep?
(And beeps that are especially not silence, and not music!)
I have shared this nugget for over twenty years;
The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.” — St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Amen, St. Mother Teresa.
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I find a certain amount of silence unsettling. Especially when I’m doing work…I find I overthink things…everyone is different…I do prefer music. Music is always calming.
That’s your mom instinct Ezabelle! “It’s quiet, too quiet!”
THE POWER OF SILENCE authored by Cardinal Sarah is exceptional.