The End.
I keep chekcing back and, yup, people keep looking at this thread. Try “White Room with Red Letters” where there are actual words to go along with a point. I always liked this idea though. Cheers.
Writer’s block is a crippling phenomena…
Far from it. I can make a statement with only a title and two words signifying an end. I was actually inspired by an orchestra currently running through Britain that plays, and was broadcasted on BBC, approximately 3 minutes of complete silence. Everyone I know thinks it’s ridiculous. I’d love to hear it.
A lot of married Native Americans would be from different tribes and would communicate almost entirely with hand signals. The philosopher Michel Foucault once remarked that he would welcome silence into the cultural ethos. There is a classical song with like over a minute of silence contained therein.
Some people talk because they’re bored, i’ve done it. Also some people autobiographicize everything you say or return your monologue with one of their own. Some people never learn to be silent and listen. One might say that a conversation is marked with silence as much, if not more than, conversation. Silence is indeed important.
“The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls,
and tenement halls,
echo the sound,
of silence”
Smooth discussing Rome reminded me of my experiences there, especially in Vatican City, that deal with silence. For 25$ a handful of students were allowed into St. Peters Cathedral after-hours, something that usually costs upwards of a grand or more. In addition to seeing the original Laocoon sculpture (from Homer and Virgil) and Rapahael’s painting of Plato, Aristotle, & Socrates (for the life of me, can’t remember the name), but also Michaelangelo’s famous mural-filled room.
During normal hours, it is usually elbow-to-elbow and you can’t hear a thing. After-hours, after explaining it to us, he had us remain silent for ten minutes and just look at it. With the humming of electricity, and the most famous painting next to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa staring at us, it was hypnotic, to say the least. Twas one of the most spiritual (if I may be so bold) moments of my life.
God damn! That is totally amazing. I just helped a friend move and saw a reproduction of that selfsame picture by Raphael. I think it’s called: “the school at Athens.” It was just yesterday and really enthralled me!
I think most people today don’t really want to endure silence. At work we chat about meaningless innocuous stuff like the weather and ‘Seinfeld’, at home the TV drones on in the background and many people remain so captivated that no real dialogue ensues, finally, alone in the confines of our own bedroom, when silent thought should fall upon us like manna from heaven; we dowse the spiritual flames with our favorite tunes from the radio.
it is interesting but silence, gap, the void, the blank do not say more than they are symbolically represented by. that’s why i don’t like this postmodern facet of aestetic expression in any for. at least one particle of positive representation in required to stir the imagination. the end is a cliche.
I somewhat agree with what you’re saying. You’re right about silence needing positive representation, but in all the instances we’ve discussed here, there are. The awkward silences, or lengthy silences, while nowhere near enjoyable, play important factors in our lives. Without the bitter, the sweet doesn’t taste as good.
Marshall, yes, that is the name of the painting. If you know of the characteristics of the Pre-Socratics, you’ll also find Heraclitus, Parminedes, and Thales, among others. And the face of Plato is actually Da Vinci’s, and the face of another (possibly Parminedes) is actually Michaelangelo’s, who was painting his mural at the same time (it took him four years) but wouldn’t allow the young, eager Raphael inside to have a look at it. The archway above their heads is the metaphysical boundaries of transcendence, and with Plato pointing to the heavens, Aristotle holding firm gestures towards the ground, the painting represents humanity’s limited perception of reality. Across the room, a mural on another wall, is Raphael’s painting of the heirarchy in heaven. It includes the angels, the Holy Trinity and specific archangels, among others, but is not nearly as interesting. It just gives an apt dimension when standing inside the room - almost like the sides of a coin.
In a somewhat related side-note, and I apologize for it’s childishness (I did grow up in the 80’s, understand) but who is Donatello? 
It’s truely amazing how philosophy allows you to make something out of nothing 
WOW! That’s incredible. For only 99 cents I can buy 3 minutes of silence. The cultural, social, psychological implications of this are mind-blowing.
In a similar vein, at the gas station there are machines where you can pump your tires with air. The sign reads “Air - $.25.”
Absolutely incredible.
Heh. Most of the car dealerships around here offer free air.