Silence

Yesterday I was in class at 2:28 PM, the time the government asked the nation to have three minutes of silence to begin three days of mourning for the victims of Sichuan. I talked about the earthquake in my class and reminded them about the moment of silence, thinking that at 2:28 we would all just be quiet. But at 2:28 every school bell rang, every car horn sounded. At first I was struck by the humor that a moment of silence in China seemed to be all but silent (making it a little hard to concentrate), but then I was filled with the sadness of it. The mourning sound of those horns and bells made everything seem eerie and urgent. It screamed "Emergency."

Beth was downtown in a taxi at 2:28 and all the cars pulled over. Everyone stopped. Policemen took off their hats. The train whistle blew.

Sadness.

China has even taken color out of their websites for the next three days to show mourning. Check it out. www.google.com.cn