Silent Cheer

Cars were lined up for miles, others pulled onto the median and on the sidewalks lining the route of the Tibetan monks. It was a scene unlike any I’ve ever seen. Thousands of people gathering in frigid temperature to see these pilgrims on their way to Washington. Then came the greatest surprise: silence. Despite the countless people lining their route, it was quiet - like a cathedral, temple, or other sacred space. (Yes, some felt the need to speak to friends on their phones (on speaker mode) but they were the exception.)

I walked alongside the monks and tried to make sense of all that was going on. I thought about their decision to make such a journey, thought about the overwhelming response, and I listened to the silence. Like a good book, movie or sermon, I’ve been thinking about the experience ever since.

The size of the crowd revealed how starving people are. For what, I am not sure. The monks were walking for peace, so maybe it’s peace they’re hungry for.

The monks were just a bunch of guys walking a really long way with nothing but their shoes and clothes. Maybe people came to witness and celebrate such simplicity, or maybe they came to honor their faith.

I’m not sure what they plan to do when they reach our nation’s capital, but maybe the journey is as much a statement as what will be said or done when they arrive. Maybe people came to support the monks’ wisdom in knowing a long walk might speak to someone, might turn a heart or two in a new direction.

But it was the silence that said the most. In a world where those who lead seem to only shout, they didn’t speak. In a world where we are told to run, they walked. In a world of possessions, they carried nothing. In a world of division, they brought people together, if only for a brief moment.

The cynic in me thinks such a walk is not enough to change the world, but maybe it is. At least they’re doing something, I said to myself, and that gave me hope. In fact, I think it gave a lot of people hope. So much so, we wanted to stand and cheer, but silence was a better way to cheer.