Silence in communication

I WAS at first amused, then turned serious, when I learned that the theme of next year’s World Communications Day is Silence and Word, Path of Evangelization. Pope Benedict suggests that those in the communications business observe silence also.

I immediately thought of the tongue-loose radio commentators whose daily views on issues and events must have come under such pressure that we would be lucky if we could get an inch of substance from a mile of words they say on the airwaves.

There is so much shallowness, inanities, bias and outright commercialism that it’s a surprise the environment is not yet that polluted. When they run out of ideas, which is often, they take refuge in poking fun at personalities, if not resort to risqué jokes and double entendre statements.

Their behaviour many times reminds me of what St. Paul once said: “Guard against foul talk. Let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers, and do good to your listeners...” (Eph 4, 29)

Then in the newspapers, mostly in the provinces where they don’t have much resources, you can see public opinion contributors straining to the extreme to make something of real value to the people.

What we often see are flimsy arguments, ungrounded speculations and theories, and cheap rhetorical tricks. And yes, a lot of indiscriminate ads that often contradict the values they flaunt they are upholding and defending.

But even in very rich and sophisticated media outfits in the local and international scenes, you can also easily detect a lot of hype and hard-sell, their passion and ideological leanings often overwhelming the facts and the requirements of fairness.

In this field, they confuse complicated thinking with mature or sober reasoning. They can cite a lot of statistics and references, they can build up formidable syllogisms, but they often fall into bitter zeal, and the debate becomes more confrontational and conflictive than constructive.

Here I just wish to remit an excerpt of the official Vatican statement about this matter that gives us an idea of the rationale behind the theme. I find it worth reflecting on.

“Silence,” it says, “is not presented simply as an antidote to the constant and unstoppable flow of information that characterizes society today, but rather as a factor that is necessary for its integration.

“Silence, precisely because it favors habits of discernment and reflection, can in fact be seen primarily as a means of welcoming the word. We ought not to think in terms of a dualism, but of the complementary nature of two elements which when they are held in balance serve to enrich the value of communication and which it a key factor that can serve the new evangelization.”

That latter reference to the “new evangelization” simply refers to the fact that in the Christian paradigm, all words, all our communications, our reasoning, discussions, debates, exchanges of opinions, etc., no matter how immersed in mundane issues, should in the end serve the purpose of evangelization which is a constant concern of the Church and, in fact, of everyone in the world.

Obviously, our problem is that practically everyone in the mainstream media, let alone, our local and world leaders, is still ignorant of the vital connection between our use of words in their different forms and ways and their ultimate relation to religion.

We are still wallowing in a secularized mentality where our attitude toward the use of words is almost completely devoid of its innate religious dimension and purpose. While indeed there is autonomy of the use of words in our mundane business, such autonomy does not cut them from their religious and sacred character and purpose.

What we need is some radical change of mind and attitude. And from there, let’s hope we can develop appropriate ways of using words that respect both their autonomous mundane character and their ultimate religious and sacred purpose.

We are still far from this ideal if we have to consider how our usual leaders and those in the media use words. It’s not going to be an easy process, especially if those expected to lead the re-education of the people lack both credibility and expertise.

But I’m afraid we just have to take up this task as soon as possible, no matter how awkward it is going to be especially at the beginning. The Pope’s idea that we give silence its due attention in our communications simply has its undeniable and indispensable value.

Let’s hope that some leaders, in the Church, civil society and government, take up the challenge!