Did you ever notice how evocative moments of silence are? I’m always emotionally moved when the PA announcer asks for a moment. The silence of tens of thousands of people is powerful, indeed.
American culture is usually out-of-control cacophonous. If we aren’t yapping with each other, there’s a TV or radio blaring. We are pummeled with noise everywhere we go, including waiting rooms, stores and airports. We even bring our yapping and music to “quiet” places, such as national parks. We just can’t help ourselves. It is getting much too hard to find quiet places anymore.
[1]That’s why it’s such a joy to be reminded to shut up, even for a moment, even if once in a while. I also appreciated this simple attempt to remind the crowd to be quiet out of respect for Abraham Lincoln’s accomplishments.
Not that this sign worked very well. People still talked, almost as much as ever. Children ran around unrestrained by their parents. People shouted things like, “Hey Bill! Isn’t it about time to go get some hot dogs?”
So here’s my idea. Someone should start a new church called “The Church of Quietude” or “The Church of Shut Up” (depending on how it is best marketed in a particular locale). After the congregation files in, the person leading the “ceremony” would announce that everyone needs to be quiet for the next hour. Completely quiet. The church leader would announce that anyone persisting in making noise will go to hell (not really, but it would get the attention of some of the folks who need extra incentive).
Perfectly quiet. For one hour. No fidgeting with programs or candy wrappers, either. Or iPods. The goal would be a complete hour of silence.
Maybe people attending would recognize how incredibly and delightfully different it is to be in a truly silent environment. They would get used to hearing their own thoughts and their own heartbeats. They might even learn to steer away from their inner thoughts entirely, focusing on their breathing or on the (what I would believe to be) overwhelming feeling of being merely one person among many people. Sam Harris might even appreciate this service. [2]
This idea is not original to me, except for the twist of doing it once a week for entire congregations. Can you think of a better way to spend one hour per week than having everyone shut up, shutting off their internal and external spigots of noisy sound and music?
Note to ministers: this will also cut down on your sermon preparation.
Perhaps such a church service would help people to recognize the near futility of words, insofar as words are often used for expressing “ultimate” meaning. Fewer absurdities and inconsistencies would be uttered at this service than at any other. The silence might bring revelations. It might even bring humility. It might bring a centeredness and a calm that would extend beyond the service.
Some would be tempted to call this silence “God.” Some would call it sanity. The smart ones wouldn’t call it anything at all and they would simply benefit from it.
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