There is a move afoot in the blogosphere that declares April 30th a One Day of Silence. The move, as much as it is linkbait (the badges they give you link back to the One Day site), is a move that is not without controversy. It is a call for the blogosphere to remember the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre and to stand united with the families.
This day shall unite us all about this unbelievable painful & shocking event and show some respect and love to those who lost their loved ones.
On April 30th 2007, the Blogosphere will hold a One-Day Blog Silence in honor of the victims at Virginia Tech. More then 30 died at the US college massacre.
But it´s not only about them. Many bloggers have responded and asked about all the other victims of our world. All the people who die every day. What about them?
This day can be a symbol of support to all the victims of our world!
All you have to do is spread the word about it and post the graphic on your blog on 30th April 2007. No words and no comments. Just respect, reflect and empathy.
The reaction in the blogosphere is mixed.
Lorelle states:
I hope this day of silence will be extended to all those who die needlessly and for the ones who never get such tributes around the world.
She continues with this incredible personal story about being in Israel when the holocaust was remembered.
Vivian, from Vancouver, British Columbia thinks that silence should not drown out conversation:
Silence should be a part of the conversation, but it should not replace the conversation. It’s easy to be silent, it takes guts to talk, to express the outrage, to investigate what went wrong and how 32 innocent lives could’ve been preserved.
Bes, from California, states:
Blogosphere is not in deep mourning. Only people taking real action are in deep mourning.
It’s not all negative though. Cynthia offers her own prayer:
Typically, we celebrate the mighty works of God in our lives, proclaiming all His goodness, mercy, faithfulness and unfailing love for us. At other times we are confronted with the undeniable fact that the reason Jesus had to enter the world was because it was broken. It is a place where depravity can overtake a human heart and there are real situations where justice seems unattainable.
In silence may we salute the lives lost at Virginia Tech and use our day to seek the Comforter, recommitting ourselves to being lights in the darkness.
And of course, today has been declared a National Day of mourning and I’m wearing my Hokies colors at the moment. It seems like more than just the blogosphere is participating. For what it’s worth, Hitler was born today in 1889 – but I digress.
I ask what you think. Is this day of silence appropriate? If you’re a blogger will you participate?
Update: A portion of this entry was removed at a bloggers request.
