Thanks, Glen! It made me think a bit about the song interpretation assignment from RJ's class back in the day. At the time, I didn't get it. Now I do. Idolatry, love & wisdom ... It's all in there.
This song, both its original rendering and its more recent by the band Disturbed have been on my mind a lot lately. I have bothered versions on my “Covid” playlist. The false gods and idols are taught to us Christians too, or at least some of us….at least used to be. Now, who knows?
I interpret it slightly differently than you do here. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that I use it more as a tool with multiple functions. Through, to be honest, I blend those, or try to, into one task. I see it as alluding to everyone one their idiot phones; talking without speaking, hearing without listing. Songs that voices never shared, no one daring disturb the sound of silence.
The 4th verse, in apply to the silence of those who knew that what we were forced to do to counter covid would not work. One of the staff and factually members at the medical vocational school I teach at is an infectious disease control expert. Yet, he wears a mask, spent most of his days at school during the panic spraying and whipping down the surfaces of empty class rooms. When ai asked why he of all people was doing this, he answered that it was political and that all in his filed know that none of what we were told to do had any hope of working. But, to say anything would invite retaliation, so they stayed quiet. “Fools” said I, “You do not know Silence like a cancer grows”.
I have been attempting to inform one and all that masking will not help and will in fact, make it worse. Ignored and complaints filed against me. “Hear my words that I might teach you”. But my words, like silent rain droops fell and echoed in the wells of silence”.
“And the people bowed and prayed”. Do not people when they walk, stand and or sit staring at the neon God they made, their idiot phone, appear to be bowing their heads in solemn prayer?
I know that he could bot possibly have had our reality in mind in this level of detail, but in my mind, it fits so nicely that it borders on prophecy.
However we individually interpret it, the song aged remarkably well, every bit as relevant today as it was all those years ago, and as you state, possibly even more so.
Beautifully thought out and articulated. Thank you for this insightful reflection.
Thanks for reading, and for the kudos, Leah!
Amen! This might be my favorite so far but too hard to say for sure because they all are great
Thanks, Glen! It made me think a bit about the song interpretation assignment from RJ's class back in the day. At the time, I didn't get it. Now I do. Idolatry, love & wisdom ... It's all in there.
This song, both its original rendering and its more recent by the band Disturbed have been on my mind a lot lately. I have bothered versions on my “Covid” playlist. The false gods and idols are taught to us Christians too, or at least some of us….at least used to be. Now, who knows?
I interpret it slightly differently than you do here. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that I use it more as a tool with multiple functions. Through, to be honest, I blend those, or try to, into one task. I see it as alluding to everyone one their idiot phones; talking without speaking, hearing without listing. Songs that voices never shared, no one daring disturb the sound of silence.
The 4th verse, in apply to the silence of those who knew that what we were forced to do to counter covid would not work. One of the staff and factually members at the medical vocational school I teach at is an infectious disease control expert. Yet, he wears a mask, spent most of his days at school during the panic spraying and whipping down the surfaces of empty class rooms. When ai asked why he of all people was doing this, he answered that it was political and that all in his filed know that none of what we were told to do had any hope of working. But, to say anything would invite retaliation, so they stayed quiet. “Fools” said I, “You do not know Silence like a cancer grows”.
I have been attempting to inform one and all that masking will not help and will in fact, make it worse. Ignored and complaints filed against me. “Hear my words that I might teach you”. But my words, like silent rain droops fell and echoed in the wells of silence”.
“And the people bowed and prayed”. Do not people when they walk, stand and or sit staring at the neon God they made, their idiot phone, appear to be bowing their heads in solemn prayer?
I know that he could bot possibly have had our reality in mind in this level of detail, but in my mind, it fits so nicely that it borders on prophecy.
However we individually interpret it, the song aged remarkably well, every bit as relevant today as it was all those years ago, and as you state, possibly even more so.
Excellent, thought provoking piece, thank you.