![Silence can teach us to appreciate the little things in life, but only if we let it do so. [image source: Kat Smith/Pexels]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/4/11/660x290/b_502x220x82/silence-can-teach-us-to-appreciate-the-little-things-in-life-but-only-if-we-let-it-do-so-kat-smithpexels_1933691.jpg "Silence can teach us to appreciate the little things in life, but only if we let it do so. [image source: Kat Smith/Pexels]")
Lao Tzu once proclaimed, “Silence is a source of great strength.” In society, our voice is seen as the most powerful thing we own. It has the power to change lives, shape viewpoints, and inspire those around us. It also has the ability to negatively impact those around us and can be as deadly as any weapon. Our voice has the power to move mountains while silence whispers words of wisdom while we sleep.
Premises, premises
A few days ago, I saw “A Quiet Place” with my best friend. I knew this movie would be almost completely noiseless, but I didn’t appreciate the complexity of the movie until I sat down and the music began to play.
The premise of the movie is, there is a family living in a post-apocalyptic world in which they have to remain silent because the tiniest of noises will offset its equilibrium and cause creatures to wreak havoc.
The movie follows a young family and focuses on the daughter who is deaf. The father has been trying to create a hearing aid for his daughter but has failed numerous times and is getting increasingly frustrated as a result. The family faces a multitude of highs and lows and experiences both heartbreak and triumph. I believe that what makes this film so spectacular is the way in which the audience is able to empathize with this family, even though we aren’t one hundred percent sure what is happening.
Without giving away the ending, the moral of the story is that the family is the strongest force there is and whether in silence or sentiment, love is the greatest superpower of them all. The music speaks volumes throughout this film and the actions and emotions of each character are felt immensely throughout the plot.
Silence does not rule out empathy
One of the greatest things about this film is the way in which this family is so easy to empathize with and feel for. Through loss and rebirth, they struggle and celebrate life’s bittersweet moments, while treasuring what they do have and that is - each other. While watching this movie, I was brought to tears, both happy and sad, and I truly believe that one does not need the power of the human voice in order to bring out these emotions.
"A Quiet Place" brings to life what words alone cannot exemplify and that is the unified struggle to understand and appreciate one another despite our differences. The family learns to overcome obstacles and communicate in even the simplest of ways. The film teaches us that love, unity, and the belief that things will get better, are the greatest gift of all. I commend the director of the film for transforming a virtually silent film into a realm of discovery, questioning, and introspection. As the darkest mythical wizard Voldemort once said, "There is no good or evil. There is only power." Sometimes our greatest strength lies within others and it is our ability to find commonalities between us which can propel us to greater and more beautiful heights. Silence may not be golden, but it surely is a force to be reckoned with — and that is something that I believe is truly remarkable and should be celebrated.
