On Silence...

Can you hear the silence here?

I’ve always been told an argument from silence is untenable.

I suppose for those who are interested in proving themselves right to others this could be important. I remember learning in my undergraduate studies that words are inherently persuasive. We open our mouths and at some level we are trying to convince each other of how right we are and why others should see things our way. The reason this is a problem, in my eyes, is that of it’s starting point. If I am trying to get you to see things my way I’m beginning from a place of division. The conversation exists in a you and me framework. This will never work. It can’t work. We can only work—together. Only when we see ourselves connected by virtue of the Imago Dei that we are all made in and by The Virtue of The One who was crucified to show us God’s desire to hold all of us together in Christ will we find ourselves in less polemical monologues or diatribes and more in conversations with one another. This is not tolerance. It’s a participation in one another (God, self and others) as the only way of our being alive—aside from this spiritual death—division from God, ourselves, and others.

Words are becoming more and more popular these days. And, I believe words are important. We all often think of the things we wish we had said to those we love after they die or the relationship no longer exists. We get that sense of regret within that we should have expressed ourselves (read shared our inner selves) more with them. Words have power for sure. The Message states it well in Proverbs 18:21, “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.” I think part of our struggle these days is that there is such a high volume of words (information) constantly flowing toward us at all levels of importance that we are finding it hard to find our voice among the many. This leads to a great frustration of not being able to express ourselves with others as we are crowded out by the dominant ones who have established a platform, a base, a following. We are well cautioned at the elimination of a diversity of voices. This has never gone well in history.

But, I am concerned at what this is doing to our humanity. We are losing our capacity and desire to discern between the many things that are feverishly being stated. We are losing our capacity to hear one another, so we talk louder when we believe we are not being heard. The only trouble is none of us are feeling heard because none of us are hearing and we are losing our capacity to hear at exponential levels in these times. This lack of hearing and seeing (Jesus constant work in the Gospels) only ends in increasing forms of violence and greater and greater divisions between individuals and groups.

But there is another way—The Way. In both Mark 14:61 and 15:5, Jesus encounters the religious and political elite. Both are shouting words at him even if at conversation levels (I suppose a Greek Scholar could tell us all the force of the questions that are being thrown at Jesus by the High Priest and Pilate). I can think of no more tempting situation to defend ourselves than when we feel threatened by someone else. Our phrases are at the ready: I did not…! Well, if you hadn’t…! I only did that because…! Jesus remains silent in both of these encounters. His life on the line and he doesn't open his mouth. Why? I’m not sure I want to offer an answer there. I am just curious as to why he doesn’t strike back, defend himself, stand up for himself, or try to talk some sense in to the other.

Silence is not a panacea and there are times when we must speak, but my concern is that we are losing our capacity for conversation because most all of us are too busy posting (like this blog), stating our opinion, naming our likes or dislikes—talking. We are all talking at the same time. We see it on the news, in social media, and most tragically at our dinner tables. Interestingly, I learned from a nun in Atchison, KS that the word for conversation has the same Latin root as the word for conversion, conversatio. Maybe we use our words to defend (cover) ourselves from the barrage of everyone else’s words that are just too much and so our arguments are kind of inevitable. When we feel like we have to justify ourselves arguments inevitably follow. In fact, Jesus said, anything beyond our yes or no, comes from the evil one. The evil one has one aim—to divide. But, Jesus remained silent before his accusers and offers to freely justify us. If we rested more in his justification would we maintain more silence in our conversations with others? In his silence, he made room for others, sought to see them and more importantly to help others know themselves as being seen—being alive in relationship with Another. Our silence, as a prayer, simply makes room for An Encounter between God and humanity.

Rather than an argument from silence being untenable maybe any argument is untenable because we were not made to be divided and in our arguments (lit. make clear, prove or accuse) we only divide ourselves from each other further. When will we pause from talking—observe some silence—welcome The God who emptied Himself (c.f. Phil 2) and made room for us so that we can make room for others? If the God who is Truth can maintain silence in the face of lies maybe we can be a bit more courageous than just firing back at others when we are falsely accused or they are talking nonsense. I’ll seek to observe some silence today maybe you will join me in your relationships with others as well. May we see each other more than try to persuade each other and know the joy of being together alive in The God who made us in His image—The Image of the God who is one (c.f. Deut. 6:4 and John 17). Enjoy this lovely song and the photo above as an invitation to pray and welcome Christ within…