The Sound of Silence

Folks, have you heard the version of Simon and Garfunkel’s song “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed? Ang angas niya!  Singing with a raspy voice, he sang it with a lot of angst and anger. And rightly so. 

He whined about apathy in today’s society. He saw the nonchalance among “people who are talking without speaking”. He recognized the indifference among “people who are hearing without  listening”.

For as long as they are not affected, I guess they won’t care about gnawing gap between the rich and the poor, the creeping decadence in morality, and the insatiable avarice of those in power and influence. It is not their concern if the rights of those who have less in life are trampled upon. It is a disturbing portent for societal disruption.

Not that they have not been warned. As Simon and Garfunkel said, the words of the prophet are written everywhere, on subway walls and tenement halls, on pulpits and social media, and on blogs and podcasts. But they fell on deaf ears.

And yet, silence has a redeeming value. Like the version of Disturbed where he sang the song in two octaves, silence can mean both apathy and introspection. 

Now that I am in a meditative mood, let me share with you the words of wisdom from Pastor Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me.