The tragic effects of the catastrophe caused by DANA in the Valencian regions coincided in time with the days of All Saints and All Souls, propitious moments to meditate on the meaning of life and death. That disaster generated a tsunami of tension, another of wonderful generosity from many people dedicated to helping and, at the official level, “minutes of silence” have abounded, a practice of respect and memory in the face of dramatic events or the death of people.
I have searched for the origin of this custom and I read that it has roots in diverse cultural and religious traditions, but it was consolidated after the First World War from the gesture of King George V of the United Kingdom who decreed a minute of silence to honor the fallen of the Great War for November 11, 1919, on the first anniversary of the Armistice.
I do not conceive of a spirituality that does not have a solid final mooring, a God
Recognizing the good intention of everyone, the “minutes of silence” mean little to me if they remain in themselves, without a leap to transcendence. Some Christians who participate in them turn them around and take advantage of that brief period to lift their soul towards God, pray for the victims or for peace and reflect on the fragility of life knowing that it is in the hands of the Creator.
The usual behavior of many of those who occupy the front rows in the silent institutional minutes does not give the impression that their thoughts are on paths of transcendence, but even so there is a positive aspect. Today, in Spain, the greatest merit of the “minutes of silence” is being able to bring together in peace and harmony politicians of all colors who, at least for 60 seconds, put aside their quarrel and all applaud at the end of the brief pause. For this reason, I encourage you to call for many “minutes of silence” because they provide a great service of pacification to society. A kind of “pau i treva” that Abat Oliba promoted in the 11th century.
Politicians applaud after a minute of silence
The “minutes of silence” have a regular role in an increasingly secularized society that leaves religion aside or is even hostile to it, but in contrast, there is a boom in spiritual experiences of Eastern origin among quite large sectors of the population that In some way they show a deep anxiety of the human being that is not answered by the many material goods, nor by technological development, nor by science, nor by politics. Sometimes, such meditation practices are even promoted or financed by public institutions, carried out in civic centers and included in their official programs. Their promoters affirm that they are spiritual practices, but not religious, and with them the aim is to seek inner peace as an evasion from problems, emptying the mind.
In these practices there is no concern for ethics and justice nor is it intended to be projected onto the other, but rather onto oneself in search of a supposed inner peace. With all due respect to those who practice them, I have the impression that this spirituality ends up being just another product of the great global market, a light product and partly linked to fashion. Because I do not conceive of a spirituality that does not have a solid final mooring, a God. The conscious Christian also empties his mind when praying or meditating, but not to leave it at zero or as simple introspection, but to fill it with love for God and others, to examine how he lives virtues such as humility, poverty, sincerity. , gratitude, justice, chastity, dedication to others… and drawing conclusions and purposes to improve.
