We usually become aware of the above kind of silence when visiting cemeteries ׂ(headstones) and deserted places (stone of ruins and abandoned houses).
In summer 2015, I visited the leper colony (1903-1957) of Spinalonga (Crete, Greece). The silence of the stone there , was telling us about the struggle of the former inhabitants to survive under terrible, unimaginable, conditions .
Their suffering got through the stone and reached us, visitors. Despite the midsummer scorching heat, I felt a shiver along my spine during the whole trip.
Great sadness fell upon those walking on the islet and learning about the people with leprosy gathered and brought to a place with no way of return.
In spite of it all - sickness, hardships, stigma - there was life going on there (people fell in love , married, had children; built houses, two little churches, an hospital , a cemetery). The place , once nicknamed 'the land of the living dead', is seen nowadays as a monument to human pain and spirit.
by the window of a deserted stone house
access to a little dock where supplies were brought in
(more photos and details in my post of Oct. 2016).
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The message conveyed through the silence of stone is that suffering ultimately leads to death and decay, but the spirit stays on. It is a comforting thought.
There's a dramatic song on YouTube named "The Spirit goes on" whose refrain says:
"If I die tomorrow I'll be alright
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on"