Silence evokes calmness and to some even fear. There are those of us who can not stay in a room when there is total silence. We therefore run away from the reality of silence by having the TV on even when we are neither watching nor listening. Life itself is full of hustles. From the time one wakes up to the time of rest at the end of the day…if one is lucky to have a day time job…every minute is spent almost mechanically. People have become so automated and only glide a long certain routines without ever stopping to reflect over their life.
Time to stop and reflect
Thus the idea of moment of silence is for one to stop, breath in and reflect! Yes, reflect on who you are, your purpose in life, what you are going to do, how you are going to do it among others. Moments of silence also enable us to think of our friends, recall our past joys, recall those we need to forgive and just enjoy an interaction with our maker. It is also a time to plan and lay strategies for the future. Some of the times when we enjoy extreme moments of silence is when in the rest room, silent prayer, meditation, when eyes are closed during rest, among others.
Sacred moments
The significance of moments of silence is appreciated in various religious denominations. For example, moments of silence were sometimes used by the Buddha or other masters to express the inexpressible. These silences, however, often acquired special meaning and significance within the context they were used. It is part of wisdom to know when to speak and when to use silence to point the way. It is also part of wisdom not to say anything, either verbally or through silence, when people are not ready to listen. Even in normal communication, one uses words punctuated with silence to convey meaning. There are times when deep feeling is best conveyed through silence.
Remembering fallen heroes and heroines
At the political level, a brief silence, usually one or two minutes, characterizes many remembrance ceremonies throughout the British Commonwealth. The concept of a remembrance silence appears to have originated with an Australian journalist, Edward George Honey, who had served briefly in World War One with an English regiment before being discharged due to ill-health. Honey was born in St Kilda, Melbourne, in 1885 and died in England 1922. Apparently, Honey published a letter in the London Evening News on 8 May 1919 under the pen-name of Warren Foster, in which he appealed for a five-minute silence amid all the joymaking planned to celebrate the first anniversary of the end of the War. "Five little minutes only", he wrote, "five silent minutes of national remembrance. A very sacred intercession . . . Communion with the Glorious Dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow. Church services, too, if you will, but in the street, the home, the theatre, anywhere, indeed, where Englishmen and their women chance to be, surely in this five minutes of bitter-sweet silence there will be service enough."
To date the tradition of having a moment of silence in remembrance of the dead is practiced world wide. It is a time we take to remember the fallen heroes of our life. However, important and sacred as that remembrance is, it is vital in our daily lives to take time out from our daily routines and enjoy a moment of silence!
Have a nice moment of silence today and muse over all the great happenings in your life today and the future.
