Sorrow

A friend of a friend is currently living in Shanghai China and she noted on her blog that on Monday there were three minutes of Noise in Shanghai to commemorate the earthquake that brought devastation to the Sichuan province a week prior.
This intrigued me. Three minutes of noise. Not a moment of silence, which can go unnoticed but three whole minutes of noise which are hard to ignore.
I understand the moment of silence. I find it beautiful and moving to be respectful in the face of unthinkable horror. For me personally I see it is a moment to reflect and say – I do not understand God but I do trust you and may your will be done.
But I also see the beauty of the noise. Noise is uncomfortable, chaotic and even painful. It is appropriate to have people sharing noise in a reflective moment that is uncomfortable and painful, to support the sorrow and anguish that a terrible event wrought. That makes sense doesn’t it? To me it is like a calling out to God, to let him know that we have been hurt, to ask why?
I would like both on a global level. Three minutes of gut wrenching noise followed by a moment of utter silence. I hurt but I trust you.