Silent Elmer

CB student Elmer Lizarde is living proof that silence is a virtue.

As a Catholic school, many students at Christian Brothers participate in the eight weeks before Easter known as Lent. During the time of Lent, a person is suggested to give up something important to them up to test the strength of their faith in God.

One student took the Lenten process a step further by taking a vow of silence. This student, Elmer Lizarde (’16), has vowed to remain silent for an entire eight weeks, including in the classroom and at home.

Interviewing Elmer was different then any other interview this Talon reporter has conducted. To answer my questions Elmer pulled out a notepad and a pencil and quickly scrolled out his response for me, as shown below.

It was thanks to religion teacher Mr. Paul “Brother” Havey that Elmer came up with his challenge. Brother Havey had asked his class what they were giving up for Lent, which made Elmer start thinking of what he wanted to do.

“I decided to choose the hardest thing I could think of, so that if I managed to pull it off, I knew I could overcome pretty much whatever I wanted,” he writes. “Theoretically of course.”

The task of remaining silent required the support of his family and teachers, who were more than happy to help. Elmer inscribes to us that “they have been very patient and supportive”.

Even though it is not over yet, Elmer’s silence has already began teaching him invaluable life lessons.

“I’ve learned to be more patient, and to really think if what I’m trying to say is important enough to actually say, considering it takes ten times longer to communicate with people.”

Perhaps we all have something to learn from Elmer’s silence. Imagine a world where people always thought of what they were going to say before saying it. Feelings would be spared, mistakes would be less frequent, and the world would be a better place.