This past Saturday, Newcastle United Football Club observed a minute’s applause in tribute to Jordan Thompson, a 15-year-old star in the Academy, who sadly passed away after a long fight with cancer.
Check out this video of the minute’s applause, taken by a Newcastle supporter from the terraces:
This represents a welcome departure from the traditional minute’s silence that has been observed globally in memory of those who have left us.
Here’s why I think a minute’s applause should replace the traditional minute’s silence:
- We can celebrate all that is valued about the person, the contributions he made, the joy he brought, the memories imprinted. We celebrate all that’s good about the person.
- Whichever faith we believe in, we trust that the person has moved on to a better place. That should be cause for celebration.
- With a minute’s applause, everyone participates and goodwill is engendered. Those insensitive imbeciles who whistle, jabber, or otherwise disrupt the minute’s silence would no longer be able to spoil the occasion.
So I say, let us move away from the trite minute’s silence. True, it may be a sad occasion for all those connected with the departed. However, we should instead celebrate the positives, the contributions made, and honour those who have passed on with a fitting tribute, a minute’s applause.
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What do you say? Should we replace the minute’s silence with a minute’s applause? Or is it an insensitive gesture? Write in with your thoughts!
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