Silence is strength. We all need silence to be able to touch souls, to be able to think deeply about our lives, and to be able to have a time by our own. In the short chapter of, "On the Spirit of Silence," which is written by St. Benedict, silence is considered as rules. However, silence, is generally considered as reasons and meaning of "spirit" of silence, and not only as rules. What this chapter focuses on is the rules of keeping silence. It opens the mind of the rules to us. Moreover, I personally took the challenge of being silent for 24 hours. I kept everything away, including my cell phone, which I can hardly live without. I kept myself away from technology and lived a day only for myself without talking to my friends, parents, or anyone else. I walked on the streets of my city and thought deeply of my life, of what am I, and of what a day could be spent without friends or family.
What Benedict means by the spirit of silence, develops by our daily meditation. This can be beneficial because we can examine the practical ways we live by taking the opportunity for keeping silent for 24 hours or even for a shorter period of time. We should be silent everywhere, in the car, home, in our daily exercises, also in cell phone use, and emailing. Furthermore, Benedict looks at the practice to test the theory. Every single person should really take a day off and try to keep silence. They should do that because this might help them discover things that they haven't yet discovered. One of the things I discovered in the 24 hours was that being silent for even a while will really make us think of the power our words can have. talking is a really daily necessity for most, and it is very hard for almost everyone to stay silent for long pe...
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... those people tolerate their entire life with no talking? They should really be respected and appreciated. I thanked God a million times that day. Then, for the rest of the day I became really bored and miserable. So, i had both of the feeling. At first i felt very strong, then really weak for not being able to talk to anyone. One day with no talking made me learn how blessed I am with having the ability to hear and talk.
In short, with talking to no one or not being busy with the phone or something it really is hard for me because otherwise all I would be thinking of will be my life. I took this challenge, to know what would it be a day for me without talking to any of my friends or family and with no technology at all. Those two are one of the most important things in my life. Family, friends, and technology are the only three things that make my life much easier.
In Orfield Laboratories, Minnesota there exists a room known as an anechoic chamber. Anechoic means free from echoes, the room measures at -9 decibels. 45 minutes marks the longest time anyone has spent in there alone. Lacking outside noises, the quietude of the room allows those inside to hear their own internal organs; occasionally hallucinations occur. The chamber amplifies an unknown fear, dead silence and extreme loneliness. Like many things, silence has a multitude of advantages, but extreme silence can prove devastation. In Chaim Potok’s The Chosen silence as a theme demonstrates destructivity. Devastation caused by silence is shown through Reb’s parenting methods, Danny’s silence between his father, and Reuven’s various experiences with silence.
Silence is another way of talking for the Saunders'. It's how Reb Saunders taught Danny because it was the only way he knew how to teach his son. Reb said, "My father never talked to me, except when
Silence — the sound of quiet, the state of mind, the lack of meaning — all these pertain to its definition. Communication is expanding, noise is increasing, music is becoming more obtainable as people search desperately for a moment of peace or a breeze of silence. As the scarcity of physical silence increases, its value as a rare commodity increases as well. The idiom “Silence is golden” may perhaps only grow closer to reality as time passes, as exemplified by the white noise machines or silent fans entering the market and fictionalized in Kevin Brockmeier’s short story, “The Year of Silence.” In light of this, Brockmeier explores the value of silence and noise in his story without putting one above the other. Through strange clues and hidden
“I am obsessed with silence because of the silence of the world. I do not understand why the world was silent when we needed its outcry. I always come back to that problem. Where were the humanists, the leaders, the liberals, the spokesmen for mankind? The victims needed them. If they had spoken up, the slaughtered would not have succeeded in his task.” - Elie Wiesel
In The Chosen, silence plays an important aspect in the characters lives. Reb Saunders forced silence and suffering upon his son Danny by not talking to him about anything other than his studies. He says he does this because he feels that Danny is so brilliant that he might not understand the suffering of others. Reb Saunders feels that silence is suffering by imposing non-communication, however, silence is really how Reuven, Danny, David Malter, and Reb Saunders communicate with each other and the world around them.
...distractions. Taking time to observe and analyze the silence can bring something to the surface that could never be confronted in any other way. We need to embrace silence presented throughout life, for we will come out with more definitive, powerful voices.
When you’re silent, other people feel uncomfortable. They often try to fill the silence, so they reveal more about themselves and what they like to do. It’s actually a tactic that law enforcement uses to get people to confess. Quiet people listen to all the problems around them and can come up with the best solution to the problems. Problem solvers are very important or else we would just have problem, after problem, and it would never get anything done.
There is much strength associated with both speech and silence. One can use either to their advantage in a power struggle. In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Randle Patrick McMurphy and Nurse Ratched employ the power of speech and Chief Bromden uses the power of silence until the end of the novel when he gains the power of speech. These cases prove that the greatest power is not held in speech or silence alone, but in the effective combination of the two.
The novel Silence has provoked much discussion on Loyola's campus this semester. As a predominantly Christian community, we find that the themes and dilemmas central to its plot land much closer to home for us than they would for many other schools: to non-Christians, the question of whether to deny (the Christian) God--for any reason--may not necessarily be such a personal one. Jesus' commandments to love God above all and one's neighbor as oneself do not find a parallel in all religions or cultures, nor does the seriousness with which Christians--specifically Catholics, and more specifically, Jesuits--have traditionally treated it.
Because we are connected with so many people, we don’t realize that something is missing in our lives and that is solitude. In my experience, even if we get few minutes to be alone, we spend that looking at our phones and laptops. For example, in school if we are waiting outside of class for teacher to come, everyone is looking at their phones, never talking to each other or sharing knowledgeable things with each other. Not only that even if we have breaks in between the class, students just take out their phone and start staring at it till the break ends. While hanging out with friends, we spend most of time on our phones. I remember, once I lost my phone and I was feeling completely discombobulated. I felt lost and wondered what was going on in world and was feeling left out. Not only solitude but also technology has resulted in loss of face-to-face conversations. Most people think that technology has enhanced our social skills but it is not true, it has actually abated our social skills. We can say that it has led to awkwardness when we talk to each other face to face, so we just prefer talking through texts or
Deep within the trees little hooded men walk along a path to meditate and pray dressed in brown robes tied with nautical rope. They dwell in silence and live a life of celibacy. This is what most of think of when we hear the word monk. Throughout the years, monks have always been people of intrigue. They live a different lifestyle than most. They live a life of seclusion far from the mores of modern society, which often makes people ponder who these people really are and why they choose to participate in such a foreign religious movement. This paper will attempt to unravel the mysteries of this peculiar movement of by researching it's origin, the true meaning of a silent lives, and how key leaders have helped to develop it one of the most popular movements in the history of Christianity. A movement called Monasticism.
The Zuni’s, according to Benedict, are a culture that is very consumed with ceremony and ritual. The Zuni’s value the absence of excess, moderation, ceremony and tradition, “He keeps the middle of the road, stays within the known map, does not meddle with disruptive psychological states…even in the exaltation of the dance he ‘remains what he is, and retains his civic name” (79). This quote symbolizes the extreme devotion and belief infested in the Zuni culture. A strong sense of restraint and composure is found in the end of the quote, “even in the exaltation of the dance he remains what he is.”
To a believing person prayer is powerful, it is a means of communication between a person of faith and God. Prayer is...
Like the rest of the world, I cannot go a day without my phone. Try leaving your phone at home for a day and let me know how you feel. With the growing technology my phone is like my arms and legs. It is my must- have- can’t live without phone. It is my connection to the outside world. It is my connection to other people’s lives and theirs to connect with mine. The “cell phone” started out as a form of communication via calling and then it exploded with text messaging. Now it seems that most people would prefer texting then calling someone.
Scripture is replete with examples of people whose emotions flowed from their true knowledge and experience of God. In the Psalms, for instance, David expresses many emotions including reverence for God, sorrow and brokenness over sin, fervent pleading to God for help, and thankfulness for His mercies and blessings. It is therefore fitting that, along with songs of joy, periods of silence be incorporated in order to ponder the very character of God and His many deeds in order to properly respond in true worship.