A Moment of Silence, Please

We live in a society of noise. From the moment we wake until the moment we sleep, we are bombarded with sound. Most of us start our day by hearing the most annoying sound known to mankind, an alarm clock. After that, we flip on the TV, most of the time for no reason at all. As the sound from the television keeps us company, we go about our normal morning activities. We eat, we shower, we brush our teeth, and we prepare ourselves for the day. All the while, the TV is blaring in the background. Information is being disseminated, and we miss most of it.

As soon as we are ready, we get in the car. What do you think happens? Yes, that’s right; the radio comes on, again ramming into our ears more noise. We ride along listening to whatever is on at that particular moment. It could be good; it could be bad. It doesn’t really matter. It comforts us. It keeps us from feeling lonely.

Finally, we arrive at school or work, and our friends greet us. We begin to “chit-chat” about what we did last night, and the homework we failed to get done. We talk about each other’s outfits and hair and make-up and about the sporting event last night. We talk and talk and talk, and as soon as silence falls, something happens. We get uncomfortable. There is an uneasiness that creeps in and leaves us feeling weird. So, how do we respond to this uneasiness? We crack a joke or create a distraction to ease the tension and break the silence. Why? Why are we afraid of the silence?

The writer of Psalm 46 says well, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The constancy of noise in our lives robs us of so much. It interrupts our connection to God. According to the psalmist, stillness is something that is valued by God. Until we are still, we cannot understand God. Sometimes, it is necessary for us to stop. Stop running. Stop doing. Stop being busy. We need to stop and be still. In those moments of stillness, our minds can rest and hear the voice of God. In I Kings 19, God comes to Elijah not in the wind or the earthquake or the fire. Only in the still, small whisper does Elijah find God. So it is with us. The constant presence of noise in our lives destroys not only our ability to think deeply about anything but also our drive to think at all. The noise we hear will think for us. They (all those who create the noise) will tell us what to believe; therefore, we won’t ever have to confront what might be. So, why do we fear silence? Because, in the silence, we have to confront, we have think about this one thing: Am I really alone?

For more on the value of silence and thinking, read this.

Catching Lightning in a Bottle

Recently, I have been reading The Lord of the Rings. In fact, I just finished The Fellowship of the Ring. First, let me say that the books put the movies to shame, and I think the movies are great. Of more import to this particular post is something in specific from The Fellowship. The movie fails to even include a conversation that moved me very deeply.

Deep into the journey from Rivendell, the fellowship has just escaped Moria without their fallen guide, Gandalf. After fleeing the Orcs of Moria, the travellers wander into the wood of Lothlorien. In these woods, Elves dwell. Upon arriving at Galadhrim, the capital city of Lothlorien, the fellowship find themselves in a place that would rival the beauty of Eden. Even in winter, the leaves never fall; they only turn gold. The ground is covered with lush, green grass and flowers of all sorts and colors. The weather is always very fair and the air very fresh. The water of the rivers is cold and refreshing, even healing. As Tolkien describes it, one is whisk away into a paradise of beauty and joy.

During their stay, the adventures grow closer to one another and are saddened that they have to leave this place. The melancholy that fills them is captured in an enlightening conversation between Gimli, a dwarf, and Legolas, an elf. Personally, I felt most touched by the thoughts of Gimli. This is merely a part of the conversation between the two.

"I have looked the last upon that which was fairest...Hencefoward I will call nothing fair, unless it be her gift [the Lady of Galadhrim gave Gimli three strands of her hair]...Tell me, Legolas, why did I come on this Quest? Little did I know where the chief peril lay! Truly Elrond spoke, saying that we could not foresee what we might meet upon our road. Tormet in the dark was the danger I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would not have come, had I know the danger of light and joy. Now I have taken my worst wound in this parting, even if I were to go this night straight to the Dark Lord. Alas for Gimli son of Gloin."

"Nay!" said Legolas. "Alas for us all! And for all that walk the world in these after-days. For such is the way of it: to find and lose, as it seems to those whose boat is on the running stream. But I count you blessed, Gimli son of Gloin: for you loss you suffer of your own free will, and you might have chosen otherwise...and the least reward that you shall have is that the memory of Lothlorien shall remain ever clear and unstained in your heart, and shall neither fade nor grow stale."

"Maybe," said Gimli;"and I thank you for your words. True words doubtless; yet all such comfort is cold. Memory is not what the heart desires. That is only a mirror...Or so says the heart of Gimli the Dwarf."

Gimli's words pierced me. Memory is not what the heart desires...that is only a mirror. There was once a time when we, too, were in Eden. We, also, experienced the light and joy, and the painful parting with it. And like Gimli, we desire the real thing, the reality of Eden. We want to be in a place where light and joy never end. One day, we will again experience light and joy, never to be parted from it again. One day, the memory of Eden will be renewed, the mirror will cease to be a reflection of what is real and finally become reality...Or so says the heart of Michael the man...

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