Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Right to Speak... Silence

Silence, by one Merriam-Webster definition, is the absence of sound or noise.
By a second, it is the forbearance of speech.

Thus, the Right to Silence has a double meaning.
One has the right to be free of disturbing noise,
that which "disturbs the peace."
One also has the right to not speak,
the opposite choice of (Freedom of) Speech,
as in "you have the right to remain silent."



The Right to Silence, therefore, provides for stillness or muteness.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to silence in the sense of not disturbing the peace. It is nice every once in a while to just listen to the sounds of nature rather than your own. Silence not only brings peace, but patience, control, and harmony.
L.A.R.

Tomma said...

As a shy person (I just sorta did a post about this)I agree to the right to not speak. But I learned that even as a shy person you can't always claim the right to not speak. You will have to talk sometimes, and if you don't it will be mostly your own fault that you don't have friends, success, etc.

Anonymous said...

I support the right to silence, because I think it's good to be silent at times. Sometimes, for example, when I am silent, people might presume I'm too quiet. However, it's all on the contrary, I'm observing on a deep level - taking in what others are discussing and what's transpiring in my surroundings. Often times, we spend too much time listening to our own voice - that we forget that there are other voices to be heard. F.G.

"Silence is the source of great strength." ~ Lao Tzu

Anonymous said...

We live in a world that is increasingly getting louder. In the city, it is hard to find a quiet, public spot where one can enjoy the silence. I believe that silence is important. It allows the mind to think, relax and reboot. If we don't make time for silence, the world becomes a stressful, busy place.
J.F.

Anonymous said...

Silence is something we all, as humans, need from time to time. This however should be approached with caution, for nothing is worse than a society that stays quiet.

Monica C.

Barbara von Enger said...

Ah, I'm so drawn to the picture above. There's nothing more refreshing than solitude. I spend at least an hour daily in the heart of the woods in solitude and quiet.

Anonymous said...

I don't like the silence, I can't sleep in silence I have to have a fan on or the T.V. or even hear distant conversations in order to fall asleep. Silence is good for relaxing like the one portraited on the picture above. But as far as falling asleep in silence is mad creepy at least for me.

Anonymous said...

^^^^ Above post is from Carlos G^^^^^^

MSM15 said...

I like this right because for me to remain in silence is sign of attention and concentration when you speak with another person. Also, being out of noise makes me relax and calm. I enjoy being alone in my room with no noise. It is a great experience.
-MSM15

D.Zabala said...

Everyone should have the right to silence. A time of peace where one can engage in deep thought or relaxation absent from any noise. People should also have the right to choice to keep ones thoughts private. I myself sometimes feel that I am not ready to express my feelings and choose to remain silent until I put my thoughts together.

Anonymous said...

So many have no idea what true silence is. Their minds are always turning. Events of the day, or future endeavors plague their thoughts. Even a song that won't seem to get out of your head can interrupt your silence. Why do we cling to things that prevent us from enjoying silence? Turning off the television, ipod, computer, and cellular phone is sacrilegious to some people. Letting go of these and other items will help you to experience true silence.

Sheeda M.

Anonymous said...

I support the right to silence. There are moments in my life that I don’t feel like talking, instead I prefer to remain silence and I have found that this is a way to release stress and meditate. I also think that we should respect when someone wants to be silent. (LCL)

Anonymous said...

There are many wise proverbs written about silence. One of them being " Speech is silver, silence is golden" and the second "silence is a woman's best garment". Silence allows a person space to collect her thoughts,to analyze them, to place them in order, and to act upon them . There are times when one can say more by being silent. Too many times we may be guilty of saying too much.
-Ana DM

N.Cruz said...

As the Miranda Warning states, “ You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you…”. Although this is part of the fifth amendment of the Unites States Constitution and it relates more to a criminal aspect, I actually feel that this applies to many things in life. For instance, a person that gets caught in the middle of an argument is probably going to get upset or angry and say hurtful things they don’t mean. In this case it is better to stay quiet because saying such things will only cause more issues for the future. It is almost certain that those things said will be brought up time and time again. I feel sometimes we get so caught up in speaking our mind that we forget just to remain silent and listen. Staying silent will allow us to think our thoughts over so that we can express them correctly.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with the right to silence. There has been plenty of times in my life, were either I have wanted to be silent or wished others would exercise this right. Somebody once told, that when you have nothing good to say, you're better off staying quiet. I still follow this advice everyday to the best of my ability. This is why I believe a lot of people should consider exercising this right, the world would be a better place if they did.

Shani A.

Anonymous said...

I believe that silence is an abstract term. This right reminds me of the question "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" So then what is silence really? Can silence only exist when there is someone to acknowledge the absence of sound?
PoPcOrN

Anonymous said...

As a quiet person myself, I have exercised this right a lot. I decide to stay quiet and think, instead of just speaking whatever comes to my mind. It’s such a good thing that we know that we have the right to remain silent and no one can make us say anything we just don’t want to. O.V.

Anonymous said...

Everybody needs silence at some point of the day. We all reconnect with our thoughts and feelings when we spend a few minutes alone with nothing that distracts our minds. Silence is the place where we can go to relax and recharge our energy. I support the right to silence. D.C.R

Anonymous said...

I love the right to silence! We are allowed to be silent at times, as well as others have the right for silence when they need it. The right to silence is not thought of very much today in Miami. I bet it is thought of in other places for example in New York. It is such a busy and loud city that when people get home at night they probably want some silence. The right to silence is something we all need and should have, therefore I am for this right. -MV

Anonymous said...

I have the blessing of being able to isolate myself even when I am surrounded by noise; I can block my mind from noise and create silence to listen to myself when necessary. Total silence is impossible because our minds are always thinking, and we are listening to it. In the noisy world we live in now; we have to create our own ways of listening to silence. A. L.

Anonymous said...

I believe that silence can get you out of many complicated situations. If you don't open your mouth you can't get in trouble for anything. I think more people should exercise this right more consistently because you can never go wrong with this right.

P.Picone

Anonymous said...

The right to silence can be used positively in both meanings of the word. In the right to quietness, it can be used to be calm and peaceful. Quietness can allow a person to relax and just have a moment to themselves. The right to silence as in not speaking can also contribute to an individual. Many people do not like to state their opinions or discuss their problems with everyone. I personally do not like a person that is constantly venting about all their issues and conflicts. These are the people that could really use the right to silence as in remaing quiet.
ACA

Anonymous said...

Totally, the right to silence gives us the privilege to hear things that we have never heard before, it is a sense of fulfilling happiness and love from nature and others whom know how to mend the air with words. Silence is not such a bad feeling, even then why is it that people become anxious and nervous when there is silence for some reason people do not feel comfortable around silence, why are we humans like that? -J.J.V.

Anonymous said...

To me silence brings clarity of thinking. Sometimes you don’t know what to say for the present moment, and know one should be forced to speak in those moments! Speech is our most powerful tool , But used improperly it is our biggest weakness.
J.M.

Anonymous said...

I, like many am usually silent but not because I don't have anything to say but because I choose not to say anything. I don't like to argue whether I be right or wrong in order to keep the peace therefore I live by Abraham Lincoln's famous quote "it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt".-D.E.C.


Abraham Lincoln
16th president of US (1809 - 1865)

Anonymous said...

According to the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury.” Don’t give-up your right to silence. Protect yourself against being coerced to say something that can incriminate you. It is your rightful right to silence. By: L.J.B.R.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to silence because I am guilty of being a very quiet person, which can sometimes be mistaken as being rude or "better than you" attitude. On the contrary, I like to observe, I find that I, personally, understand things more, if I analyze rather than doing all the talking.
The right to silence gives oneself, a chance to think.
CR

Anonymous said...

I believe in the right to silence because I use it as a time to observe and listen to my own thoughts. The world is very noisy nowadays with cars zooming by and the television set on but when all is silent, it gives us time to listen to ourselves. Etel

Anonymous said...

Though one is to be strong and calm we all need a time to ourselves. When that time comes silence is golden, lay back and watch the trees and the day pass without a thought and without worry. We all need times like this to think and find peace within a stressful situation. Afterwards its straight back to the real world but, the right to silence gave you the extra push you might have needed. AG

Anonymous said...

“Proverbs 21:23 says: He that is keeping his mouth and his tongue is keeping his soul from distresses.” I concur, with the right to not speak or right to remain silent because we as human should think before we speak. Other things are better left unsaid, everything doesn’t warrant a response. It’s better to observe the world. Silence is golden. In my opinion the most silent people can be the most powerful and intimidating of our kind you never know what their thinking in their heads. What idea they have building. –J.D.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the Right to Silence.Every now and Than its nice to relax with just silence.Silence gives you the chance to observe and create your ideas or perspective towards your thoughts.JP

Anonymous said...

To remain in silence for a while boost my brain! This is a good exercise to practice when you do it on purpose but sometimes I have had to remain in silence against of my will because I get nervous when I have to talk in front of a bunch of people. J.V

Anonymous said...

The right to silence could be one of the best things one could listen to. I love the right to silence because many times I don't feel like producing the energy to talk. With the right of silence your mind is left to wonder into your imagination, and thats when things get creative. Solitude is good for the living because it allows you to re-group while you think of all your surroundings and learn how to balance them all. JE.