Sacred Silence: Navigating Divine Experience in a Mocking World

Each of us has, at least once, encountered something incredibly sublime, something extraordinary beyond ordinary experience. The inner emotions—the contact with the divine—often remain a personal revelation, so subtle and profound that it is difficult to express in words. This state is simultaneously filled with grandeur and vulnerability, where every word risks distorting the true essence of the moment.

Modern society, following its own cultural logic, often hides behind irony and mockery to soften the existential dread of the unknown and unfathomable. The brilliance of a spiritual awakening collides with a collective fear of judgment, where even sincere yearning can be met with skepticism and sarcasm from those around us. Thus, a love for the divine requires not only the courage to open oneself up, but also the ability to overcome the fear of public opinion.

Ultimately, the refusal to share such experiences is not merely an unwillingness to discuss one’s inner secrets; it is a kind of defense mechanism that helps preserve the purity and intimacy of the spiritual experience. In an environment where society is shielded by habitual reactions, every personal drama associated with the sincere perception of higher forces becomes a true test of the soul. This internal conflict between deep spirituality and social vulnerability reminds us that true strength of spirit sometimes lies in the ability to maintain one’s soulful sincerity in a world full of mutual irony and ridicule.

Why is it that those who claim to have experienced the divine often refrain from sharing their experience due to the fear of mockery?

People who have experienced something divine often choose to remain on the sidelines when it comes to publicly recounting their experiences. Their inner encounter is accompanied by a deep feeling of vulnerability and a spiritual triumph that is difficult to convey in ordinary words. As noted in one source, “the shame of fear and the fear of shame have led man out of the ‘natural state’ into the world of culture and creativity. Laughter protected him from that which was fearsome and horrible” (source: link , page: 50). This underscores that society often employs irony and mockery as a means of softening the existential terror and mystery that arise when faced with higher forces.

Another example from a different text shows how mockery can become a real social trial: even when surrounded by people, the fear of judgment for showing one’s spiritual longing may stop someone from openly discussing such experiences—as described in the case where “seeing the ridicule around him, a person finds that only the experience itself matters, not the opinions of others” (source: link , page: 71). Thus, the fear of mockery emerges as a defense against potential social condemnation, which might diminish the significance and uniqueness of such a subtle and personal experience.

In conclusion, the reluctance to share divine experiences is tied to an inner conflict between the yearning for spiritual purity and the fear that the sincerity of these experiences might become an object of irony and ridicule by society.

Supporting citation(s):
“the shame of fear and the fear of shame have led man out of the ‘natural state’ into the world of culture and creativity. Laughter protected him from that which was fearsome and horrible.” (source: link , page: 50)

“Imagine: a wealthy, respected person living in a small town suddenly climbs a tree like a boy. How much ridicule surrounds him!.. Yet for Zacchaeus, it was so important to see Christ, even just to catch a glimpse of His face, that he disregarded all this and overcame vanity...” (source: link , page: 71)