The Sound of Silence

Everyone has a favorite Simon & Garfunkel song. My mom's favorite is "Bridge Over Troubled Water." It doesn't matter who is singing it; she loves all versions.

I feel that way about Simon & Garfunkel's song, "The Sound of Silence." Whenever I visit quiet spots like this pond at the Smithsonian National Zoo, "The Sound of Silence" plays in my head. If silence was an actual sound, I imagine it would be similar to the melody of this song.

Besides its soothing, yet haunting melody, Paul Simon's lyrics have always spoken to my soul. Its words begs the question about our responsibility in silence. Are we the perpetrator of silence or its victim? Who is to say? As they say in the film, Shakespeare in Love: "I don't know. It's a mystery."

"The Sound of Silence"
by Simon & Garfunkel

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence.

Childhood Safety

Yesterday, I stayed home from work due to laryngitis. Out of boredom, I watched too many hours of daytime television. In hindsight, I should have just turned off the television and opened a book or drafted blog posts. Beyond just coverage of the Penn State tragedy, it seemed that every show from soap operas, daytime talk shows, and movies on cable featured some kind of storyline about child abuse and its lingering impact into adulthood.

Beyond it being a depressing way to spend a sick day, it made me pause and think about the blessing of growing up in a home and world full of love and safety. Not every child is that lucky. My childhood was filled with loving, kind parents at home; professional, helpful teachers at school; and generous, respectful Catholic priests at church;. Not every child is so lucky.

But they should be.

Regardless of laws and reason, we have a moral obligation to protect children by ensuring and providing the safest environment we can for them. A safe place where they can learn how to love themselves and others. A safe place where they can mature into optimistic, hopeful adults. A safe place where they can seek help and support without facing recriminations and fear. Whether they are our children or someone else's, all children deserve childhoods with food, shelter and safety. It's up to us -- the grownups -- to be their champions and protectors against a world that at times is hurtful, painful and dangerous.

What an upside down world we live in. I wish those who are so passionate about protecting life that doesn't exist yet would extend that same passion, focus and commitment to improving and protecting the little lives who already walk among us. God knows there are children in foster care or juvenile justice systems, or still living in dangerous situations who could use that kind of advocacy and caring. Who speaks up for them? Who demands that the world pay attention to their plight and create a new and better world for them?

I do. Every day at work, I tell reporters and organizations that our children deserve more attention than what we give them. I love and treat with dignity and respect the children in my life and adopt them in my heart as my family. I refuse to be a Joe Paterno and do the bare minimum to protect children I know are being victimized. I refuse to be an accomplice to their traumatic childhood. Instead, I will be the safety net. I'll be the person that speaks up even though the price for speaking up may be costly. We all can. If I don't, if you don't, we deserve the horrible future ahead full of regret and guilt because we witnessed a crime we could have stopped or prevented if we had just said something.

The world's children deserve more than we've offered them. While children are resilient, there are some tests to the human spirit that are avoidable and unnecessary. Some kids survive these perilous childhoods. But there are others that flounder and don't make it. Or even worse, as adults, they become the night terror for another innocent child and the cycle of trauma begins again.

So, let's turn off the daytime television shows that tell us what we already know to be true -- children deserve to be surrounded by love and safety. Let's pay more attention to the world around us. Let's break the cycle. Let's offer them light and hope to break up the darkness encroaching their world. I'm in. How about you?

Complain at the Ballot Box

Today is Election Day in the United States. This election is important; American voters should know that voting today is a warm up for next year's presidential election. If you are not sure where to go or unclear what's on your ballot, visit www.vote411.com and enter your residential address to find out more voting information.

I'm not sure why Election Day is not a national holiday. Voting projections are suggesting that even though the stakes are high for this election, voter turnout will be very low. Voting participation could improve if voters didn't have to schedule voting around work. If the federal government can designate a holiday to celebrate explorer Christopher Columbus and his exploits discovering America, why can't we acknowledge with the passing of a federal holiday the importance and solemnity of the annual occasion when we implement our democratic right?

Voting is the foundation of democracy. It's citizens' best opportunity to direct and instruct their government on what is important to them and how they want their democracy implemented. Go to the voting polls and instruct them well. While we may not agree on the direction, I have more respect for those who vote than those who choose to sit on the sidelines, ignore this civic responsibility and just complain. Complain at the ballot box please; it's the only place policymakers still listen to your concerns.

Scarlet Ibis

The beautiful Scarlet Ibis is one of the national birds of Trinidad & Tobago, the Caribbean nation where my parents were born and raised. When I lived in Trinidad as I child, I remember visiting Caroni Bird Sanctuary and seeing the thousands of Scarlet Ibis roosting and flying around the mangroves. Imagine my surprise during my recent visit to the National Zoo to see they had Scarlet Ibises! Like Flamingos, their plumage color is the result of their diet. Scarlet Ibises eat red crabs in tropical swamps which gradually turns its grey and white feathers to scarlet. In the wild, its color is much redder, probably due to increased access to their natural diet.

Snack Time with Giant Pandas

The highlight of my visit to the National Zoo this weekend was getting to see giant pandas. I missed seeing the pandas at the San Diego Zoo in December due to the ridiculous long lines to enter the exhibit. So, I made a point of hanging around the one at the National Zoo to catch a glimpse of their giant pandas, Mei Xiang or Tian Tian.

Patience and persistence paid off and during snack time, I photographed both pandas enjoying their popsicle treats close to the enclosure's railing. I joined the throng of their delighted fans crowding the railings to get a better look. Not sure whether the panda in today's photograph is Mei Xiang or Tian Tian, but I enjoyed observing and photographing both of them during their snack break.

Eyes of the Tiger

Remember the rock song, "Eye of the Tiger," by Survivor? For several seasons of Charter Oak High School football, it was played to welcome the team on the field. Now, I can't look at tigers without thinking of that song. Although this Sumatran tiger's gaze did temporarily distract my memory on Saturday at the National Zoo. 

Looking through the camera's viewfinder, the tiger's eyes appeared black. I was so pleased to see that in the final image, the tiger's eyes appeared golden amber. It just shows that sometimes instinct is a better guide for photography than what appears on your camera's viewfinder or LCD screen.

Lion King Moment

Yesterday, I braved the high winds (60 miles an hour in places, believe it or not) and visited the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, or the National Zoo, for the first time. It's strange that it took more than five years to get me to the zoo in DC, but when I finally visited, I was not disappointed.

When I explored the San Diego Zoo in December, the lions (my favorite mammal) refused to be photographed. They spent my entire visit with their backs to my camera. This was not the case for the African lion, Luke, at the National Zoo. He seemed drawn to me and posed multiple times. His position in this photo with the wind blowing his mane reminded me of the final scene in Disney's The Lion King when adult Simba takes his place at the top of Pride Rock. I lingered at the Great Cats area, captivated. Luke's stare was almost hypnotic. While I just missed seeing the new lion cubs, it was still a very fruitful afternoon with the lions.