I'm sure you've heard the mantra "Silence is golden" before. Today I got a taste of what that really means.
As a fairly garrulous person, I often don't spend time admiring the phenomenon of silence. Often, I spend time Talking about pointless things just to hear my own voice. I rarely encounter silence and, consequently, lack the skills to appropriately react to it.
Also, I have a photographic memory. Therefore, I rely on images for everything. Unfortunately, because of this, I tend to focus way to much on the small things, such as an askew picture, rather than taking the time to absorb the bigger picture.
Something changed me today.
My a cappella group at school was practicing in our auditorium and decided to turn the lights off. Typically, I find these things immature and a waste of time. Yet, something today told me to wait.
Instantly I was robbed of the two things I find so familiar: sound and sight. The only sound I could hear was the whisper of my fellow singers. The only sight I could perceive was the dim illumination of the seats from an overhead window.
I blew my pitch pipe and we began to sing.
At once I knew something was different. The song we sing is MLK and I have the solo. With the opening words "Sleep, sleep tonight. And may your dreams be realized", I felt the text resonate somewhere deep within me. I felt like I was hearing the song for the first time.
When we had finished the piece, nobody spoke. Nobody giggled. There was nothing but complete silence. No applause to detract from the music. Absolutely nothing.
This is why I choose music over all else. No where can you go to be so in tune with your inner being. No where is there a place where you can connect on a higher level than in music.
Music is beautiful. It allows us to experience everything. It allows us to express everything. It allows us to be everything. And that truly is something beautiful.
