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Beuchner's observations on silence and it's relationship with pain and tragedy really struck me in this reading and class. So much so that I was unable to come up with an adequate title for this blog,
not even trying to be witty and creative. This lesson really resonates with me. I'm not sure exactly why; I haven't been through as many hardships as other people, there haven't been as many tragedies in my life. Is that fair to say to myself? Probably not.
Anyway, the realization that it is okay, even good, to be silent in the face of sudden tragedy… that's amazing to me. So many times when someone I know is having a hard time, I feel bad that I can't think of anything to say. How awesome it is to know that silence isn't necessarily a lack of knowledge or wit. I guess as I think about that further, the bible talks about silence in this way often.
Proverbs 17:18, "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent."
James 1:19, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…"

As for the films we watched… holy cow. I had to consciously let myself open up to every aspect of the movies, "drink deeply" of them, as Prof. Leeper said in class. It would have been easy to sit back and only skim the surface of the films; tune out the painful lyrics in "Small Hands," just focus on the bland color scheme of "World of Glory." It hurt, but it would have been a waste to limit my experience with these films.

These films reminded me of the Hindenburg disaster. Herbert Morrison is the name of the radio announcer in the video. If my dad told me correctly when I was little, he didn't have much of a career after this event because of this report.  I guess I'll just let those who watch it make their own connections between it and the lesson.