The Politics of Silence

What I'm about to reveal may shock you: I favor prayer in schools. And not just private and parochial schools, either; I'm referring to public schools from coast to coast. And yet, I firmly believe that the First Amendment's guarantee of separation of church and state must be maintained at all costs. Although the presence of "In G-d we trust" on American currency does not offend my personal religious sensibilities, I would understand completely if it were removed for the sake of Constitutional principles. Nor would I mind if "under G-d" were eliminated from the Pledge of Allegiance. How can such bleeding heart liberalism be reconciled with saying the Lord's prayer every day in homerooms across America?

Each day, right after the Pledge of Allegiance is mindlessly recited, schoolchildren, teachers and administrators should observe a mandatory minute of pure, unadulterated silence. After the 60th second had passed, students and educators would be free to move along with the rest of the school day.

The benefits of such a period of silence are many. The minute would allow students with strong religious convictions a time to pray silently and secretly. Atheists and non-religious types could use the time to think about the day's events. Believers in new-age philosophies could meditate, provided they do so silently. More pensive types might reflect on the nature of human existence and other great philosophical questions. On Fridays, social expectations for the weekend will most dominate mental discourse.

On another level, a moment of silence is healthy for a society in which noise and near chaos are the status quo. Consider how few truly quiet times there are in an average day. We use noise to wake us in the morning, and it seems to follow us until sweet slumber shields us from the sounds of the outside world. Shutting up for a minute or two would be an auditory oasis: a treat for the mind, body and soul alike. Imagine how much more pleasant it would be if we could drive the Mass. Pike in total silence. Stopping for self-reflection or prayer provides a pause to consider the humanity that is so often stripped from us by all-nighters, 80-hour work weeks, timecards and exams after winter break. Even what little time off we get is generally used for frantically trying to catch up on our "real" lives. Indeed, the time has come for a mandatory minute of silence after the Pledge of Allegiance. In fact, perhaps it can be instituted instead of the pledge, which is rarely performed respectfully anyway. Die-hard patriots could use their minute to silently salute the flag.

At the lowest level, enforcing a moment of silence is good for discipline. Children should be taught how to close their mouths or stay in one place when told to do so. But such a disciplinary tool only works if it is taken seriously and unequivocally executed universally: complete silence, for a complete minute. Students would not even be allowed to clean their guns or sharpen their knives until 60 seconds have elapsed. At that point, usual classes and schoolyard violence would be allowed to resume.

So yes, I am in favor of prayer in schools. That doesn't make me a defender of embryos, destroyer of welfare or a bloodthirsty advocate of lethal injection or worse. And Bob Dole shouldn't expect me to stuff envelopes for him in the coming months.

Such a program will probably never be implemented. And maybe that's not such a bad thing. One could successfully argue that once a mandatory moment of quiet has been approved, it will be considerably easier for the religious right and their political sympathizers to obtain their aim of compulsory Christian liturgy. Politicians can ruin anything, even something as simple as 60 seconds of silence.