"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" The philosophical riddle above always drives me a little crazy. Does "sound" only exist when there are ears to hear it?
However, if a tree falls in a singles ward (this is my non riddle) you will hear it! Loud and clear. You'll hear it because it will be the only noise in the room!
I don't get out to singles wards on a regular basis but took the opportunity to make a guest appearance at the Stanford 2nd Ward yesterday. I'd heard rumors of VIP speakers!
Actually, our own Andie Knudsen was on the program to speak on the topic "Draw Near Unto Me" (scripture reference in Doctrine and Covenants 88:63).
The first thing I noticed in Sacrament Meeting was the silence! It wasn't a deafening silence but a reverent one...although it was a little eerie. I'm so used to church in family wards with plenty of sound, not irreverence exactly, just....little people noise. Okay, sometimes big people too (sometimes I'm might even be the guilty party). Or, as our Primary leaders in Los Gatos clarified in our meeting yesterday, our Primary kids don't have a reverence problem, just an exuberance one!
Stanford 2nd Ward reminded me of when I was a docent on Temple Square. When I was in college I volunteered once a week and gave tours back in the day before they called Sister Missionaries like "The Amy" Harmer to serve as full time Temple Square missionaries. So, part of my tour guide spiel in the Tabernacle included noting the great acoustics and even having a visitor drop a pin that we could hear it from the other end of the building. "So quiet you can hear a pin drop" is practically the only line I can remember from my docent days!
Anyway, Andie was an excellent public speaker. In fact, maybe the silence at church was simply because everyone was in awe! Just kidding, but it was a great talk. Even without any background noise.
