Comments on: Silence and Speechlessness (96) http://thewordnerds.org/2007/12/09/silence-and-speechlessness-96/ A podcast about words, language, and why we say the things we do Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:15:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: John http://thewordnerds.org/2007/12/09/silence-and-speechlessness-96/#comment-31298 John Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:26:10 +0000 http://thewordnerds.org/2007/12/09/silence-and-speechlessness-96/#comment-31298 Anne, I agree about the moments of silence for commemoration. The thought of an entire nation pausing in silence sends chills down my spine; what an awesome experience! I would love to witness that. Somehow in the US, we have not managed to do that for 9/11 like your description of Yom Kippur. That sounds very moving indeed! Word Nerds, As a Catholic, it was interesting to listen to the description of murmuring in the Sistine Chapel. The same thing is true for most churches in Rome. When you visit an old church in Rome (and they are all old), even non-catholics suddenly subdue their voices when they enter the sanctuary. Everyone seems to respect the sense of sacred, even when they philosophically disagree with it, and are just visiting the art. Catholic churches often have this feeling of being "full of silence". In our conversation with God, sometimes it is best to shut up and listen for a change! Anne,
I agree about the moments of silence for commemoration. The thought of an entire nation pausing in silence sends chills down my spine; what an awesome experience! I would love to witness that. Somehow in the US, we have not managed to do that for 9/11 like your description of Yom Kippur. That sounds very moving indeed!

Word Nerds,
As a Catholic, it was interesting to listen to the description of murmuring in the Sistine Chapel. The same thing is true for most churches in Rome. When you visit an old church in Rome (and they are all old), even non-catholics suddenly subdue their voices when they enter the sanctuary. Everyone seems to respect the sense of sacred, even when they philosophically disagree with it, and are just visiting the art.

Catholic churches often have this feeling of being “full of silence”. In our conversation with God, sometimes it is best to shut up and listen for a change!

]]> By: Anne Frid de Vries http://thewordnerds.org/2007/12/09/silence-and-speechlessness-96/#comment-31175 Anne Frid de Vries Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:02:36 +0000 http://thewordnerds.org/2007/12/09/silence-and-speechlessness-96/#comment-31175 For me the most impressive silences are the moments of silence taken for commemoration. For the dead of war, for the victims of 9/11 and such. Most impressive are those in Israel. There is the silence of Yom Kippur, when the whole country comes to a halt and for city dwellers such as myself, the background hum of traffic comes to a stop and during the day there is the silence of the dead of night, more so than on an average night. Other silences are those of remembrance far fallen soldiers, terrorist victims and on the holocaust remembrance day. Even on the highway people stand still. They stop their cars and stand in silence next to their vehicles. http://anneisaman.blogspot.com/2007/12/silence-and-speechlessness.html For me the most impressive silences are the moments of silence taken for commemoration. For the dead of war, for the victims of 9/11 and such. Most impressive are those in Israel.

There is the silence of Yom Kippur, when the whole country comes to a halt and for city dwellers such as myself, the background hum of traffic comes to a stop and during the day there is the silence of the dead of night, more so than on an average night. Other silences are those of remembrance far fallen soldiers, terrorist victims and on the holocaust remembrance day. Even on the highway people stand still. They stop their cars and stand in silence next to their vehicles.

http://anneisaman.blogspot.com/2007/12/silence-and-speechlessness.html

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