SILENCE CAN BE GOLDEN

Bon anniversaire,

Marcel Marceau

When I was very young my father regaled me & my siblings with stories of a man he had seen performing in Paris, when my father was there following liberation. My father said, the man was an incredible artist, who conveyed his messages without a brush, canvas, an instrument or a pen. My father told us that the man was a Jewish hero from Alsace, who not only survived the Nazis, but who saved thousands of Jewish children. This great artist was Marcel Marceau.

Over the course of my life I saw Mr. Marceau perform several times. Each time more fascinating then the time before. I saw him in Paris & in the US. I did not speak a lot as a child because of childhood stutter. Anyone who knows me, knows that I overcame that a long time ago. My mother sometimes has said, "Roland your desire to make up for the time when you did not speak removed any possibility of your ever becoming a mime".

I know that it may seem like a gross oversimplification, but in today's world there may far too many spoken words and not enough reflection.

Le pouvoir du silence est qu'il donne un temps pour réfléchir

-roland nicholson, jr