Some lessons are hard to learn ... or at least hard to admit that we need to learn. Some such lessons come to us by means of teachers, others come from interactions with others, and still others come from the power of modern technology. Evidence one of the films currently being screened at film festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and in other parts of the world (like this little city in Northern Ontario).
This afternoon, I screened a showing of the film entitled Incendies. It tells the story of a brother and sister who are called together to hear the text of their mother's Last Will and Testament. What should be a simple matter of words spoken and heard turns out to be an adventure that leads one of them half-way round the world, and both of them to the discovery of the secrets that their mother carried in silence for most of her life.
As I left the cinema, I couldn't help reflecting that there are untold numbers of individuals who we meet from time to time (or perhaps more often than that) who carry deep within them a secret or two that just can't be divulged. Some such secrets do indeed go to the grave, but many of them represent experiences of unspeakable suffering and pain. These are the ones who are most appreciative of the liberties that some of us take for granted. Perhaps we should take a moment or two to listen to stories of those who have known these attrocities. Sometimes they themselves can't or won't find words to express their pain, and the best that another can offer is to understand their silence.
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