Peace or Silence?
Added about a year ago by Nicola Vidamour
GUEST BLOG: Nicola Vidamour, author of Where Two Rivers Meet, discusses the connection and difference between peace and silence. What does peace-making look like in our time?
I recently spent a week in silence at the Taizé Community in France. The Taizé Community was started by Brother Roger during the Second World War as a place of safety and welcome for refugees. Peace and reconciliation are still an important part of what the Taizé Brothers seek to model in their own lives and offer to others.
I am rather embarrassed to admit this but I used to think that peace and silence were the same thing! I now realise that this is not the case! Silence can, in fact, be a sign of conflict. When someone stops communicating with us and gives us the silent treatment, we may need to find a way of making peace with them. I have also discovered that spending time in silence – as I did in Taizé - is not always a peaceful experience. My inner disquiet, which I normally block out by noise and activity, suddenly becomes very audible and shouty!
I don't want to dismiss entirely, however, the similarity with which I first regarded peace and silence. Some friends, couples and even larger groups of people can feel very comfortable being together in silence. This is not the awkward silence of conflict but a sign of deep and peace-filled intimacy, love and trust.
One of the signs that war is over is when the sound of bombs and shelling, sirens and screaming come to an end – although admittedly those sounds may live on in the minds and memories of those who heard them. They may find it really difficult to find inner peace and may even experience post-traumatic stress disorder when they hear a similar noise.
Brother Luke, who led our daily Bible reflection at Taizé each morning, made some interesting comments about silence in the story of the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28). He noted that Jesus initially gave her the silent treatment and refused to engage or respond. He also pointed out that the disciples urged Jesus to speak to her because they wanted to be left in peace - not because they had compassion for her needs! “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us" they said (verse 23). His explanation of Jesus' silence and inaction was that this enabled the woman to say more and unfold everything which was in her heart. This revealed the message which Jesus wanted people to receive - that God is already present and active in people we consider to be our enemies. In other words, we can build peace with our enemies if we are prepared to be silent and listen more to what they have to say. We may be surprised to discover that we have far more in common than we first thought. The Taizé Community recognises the value of listening. Every evening some of the brothers (and sisters) stay in the church, available to listen to what people may need to share with them.
I have to confess that I am really not interested in listening to what Mr. Putin has to say at the moment – even though I am a Russian speaker and normally relish the opportunity to hear the language spoken live by a native speaker. I wish that he would listen more to the cries for peace both from his own people and from the people of Ukraine. I find it fascinating that Putin and Zelensky both have Christian names (Vladimir and Volodymyr) which contain the word peace – mir. The other part of their name means to rule or possess. So Putin and Zelensky are both rulers of peace – in name, if not in nature! Perhaps the problem is that mir can also mean world. Sadly, it seems that Zelensky wants to be a ruler of peace but Putin wants to rule the world.
When I think about peace and silence, I am also reminded of the words of Martin Niemöller, the German Lutheran Pastor, who confessed his failure to speak out for certain groups of people during the Second World War. He realised that by the time they came for him, there would be no-one left to speak out. Our silence about the way in which other people are being treated may make life more peaceful for us – but it can also make us complicit in the horrors of war.
So, peace-making, it seems to me, requires us to make choices about when to speak and when to be silent. Peace and silence are not the same thing. Sometimes silence can be a sign of peace or a path to peace. At other times, silence can signify that a conflict has already begun or will not stop until we find the strength and courage to speak out for those voices that have been silenced.
Nicola Vidamour is a Methodist Minister, currently serving in the Woughton Ecumenical Partnership in Milton Keynes. Nicola read Russian at Bristol University and served as a Methodist Mission Partner in Russia from 2003–9. You can get your copy of Where Two Rivers Meet here!
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