The Cost of Silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare
Disturb the sound of silence

“Fools” said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, “The words of the prophets

Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls”
And whisper’d in the sounds of silence

Sound of Silence, Paul Simon

#MeToo, #ChurchToo, immigration, racism, economic injustice, educational injustice. Too much to list.

People know. Oh, they know. But they remain silent. They justify it’s cheaper to stay silent than it is to speak out.

And maybe for them it is? Play the long game… better to be quiet than to become the target yourself, amiright?

But who pays the cost of that kind of silence?

Because it isn’t free.

And in the naked light I saw, ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening.

And no one dare disturb the sound of silence.

Evil seeps in and thrives, feeding on silence in dark recesses and plain sight like moss growing after a storm.

Perhaps that’s why Paul said:

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 

Ephesians 5:15-16

Yeah. Be very careful, then, how you live.

“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Ephesians 5:14a

Ssshhhh…. don’t wanna wake the Baby.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

James 1:2-3