THE ROAR 

ON THE OTHER SIDE 

OF SILENCE

Quote for Today  - May 2,  2011

“Nor can I suppose that when Mrs. Casaubon is discovered in a fit of weeping six weeks after her wedding, the situation will be regarded as tragic. Some discouragement, some faintness of heart at the new real future which replaces the imaginary, is not unusual, and we do not expect people to be deeply moved by what is not unusual. That element of tragedy which lies in the very fact of frequency, has not yet wrought itself into the coarse emotion of mankind; and perhaps our frames could hardly bear much of it. If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity.”

George Eliot 1819-1880, [Marian Evans Cross] in Middlemarch [1871-1872], chapter 22. The highlighted part in the above quote is noted by many people. I'm giving here the full quote. You can read the whole book on line for free. Dorothea makes her comments in Rome as she’s dealing with unexpected issues that have come up in her recent marriage. I like this quote because it  articulates the silence we all feel when reality settles in after our imagined expectations crash into a wall.

Put in other words:  “Life takes place with these 3 steps: "Illusion. Disillusionment. Decision.” The restaurant looked good from the outside and the menu on the window. It looked like a good investment. I thought he was a good choice. Surprise! Wow was I wrong! Decision time.