The Sound of Silence

The Sound of Silence echoes with a voice of its own, for silence is a force unto itself. Its voice can be clearly heard in the repercussions that result from remaining silent-consequences that will spread as surely as ripples on a pond. This echo is theaftermath. Its origin is found in those who chose to remain silent when faced by that which is wrong; for when corruption and evil are ignored, other victims will follow as night follows day. The sound of silence resonates in the anguish of those who would otherwise have been spared the pain, had someone decided, instead, to speak out... Silence is the strongest ally of the pedophile. It is, in fact, his only real ally. He (nearly all pedophiles are 'he') relies on silence. He's helped by the fact that his sordid actions instill needless shame in his young victims, an emotion that will often keep them silent forever. This is why one pedophile's victims will often number in the hundreds-and most will never say a word… The author remained silent for more than twenty years, as did the other victims in the family in which he was raised. The silence was so deep, that not until two of them reached adulthood did the siblings together realize their father was what he was, and that each was not alone in the knowledge. Even then, they remained silent-for another two decades. It was a silence broken only by a call from the police. That silence haunts them still, for it should never have been…