Beauty in Silence

Remember when I went on about the beautiful simplicity of 1950's films and when I gushed about my tiny obsession with West Side Story? Well, this weekend I was diving into my Spanish studies so I thought WSS in Spanish was a perfect way to relax. Being so intent on comprehending the foreign language, the moments of silence are starkly evident throughout the film. They say that 85% of all communication is non-verbal, but the wonderful part about that is that it leaves room for a myriad of interpretations. I've seen the film hundreds of times, literally, and yesterday new thoughts and ideas about it's concepts and pieces expanded within all the moments of silence. Like the silence that separates the Jets from outside sources--for most of those boys, their gang really was all they had. It kept them safe, protected from the hurt and disappointment of the world- minus some bruises and bloody noses. And it reminds the viewer why they pull together after Riff dies. Silence can protect and insulate, but it can also alienate and isolate. It's a powerful tool we need to be mindful of wielding.

Silence sometimes can say more than all the dictionaries in the world and other times it allows us the time to find the right words. And when all the words, in all the languages, fail us, silence just lets us feel.

In the view of the galaxy above, for each of the million points of light from stars or planets, there are probably another billion points of darkness (at least to our human eyes). Not of emptiness or dead space, just unknown or unable to be seen by our frail eyes and sometimes even by our advanced technology. Just maybe the most beautiful complex galaxy yet to be discovered lies within the "empty" space we so casually dismiss at times. And for all the explosions, collisions, black holes, meteor showers, etc- for all the sound out there..... there is also a measure of silence.

In our lives, our daily conversations, in our relationships, silence has it's place. Not as an obstacle of communication or as a punishment for perceived wrongs. We each need our silence, our quiet time, our secrets. Because what we think about and not say, what we hold close instead of spilling out says just as much about us as does all the blabbing. And as I'm sure many of you know, I could keep writing on the topic, but I'm embracing the silence.