Silence and remaining silent when facing a child with cancer – necessity, naturalness or failure?

Silence and remaining silent occupy a significant position in human life. We need silence to think over many matters, and sometimes it is necessary to re-think them, especially considering modern civilization overwhelmed with noise, chaos, haste and overuse of words lacking meaning. We need silence to express our respect for human dignity by remaining silent. This article will first present a general understanding of silence and remaining silent. Then we will refer these notions to situations when a space of silence and remaining silent emerges around a child with cancer. The sources of such specific space will be indicated. Silence and remaining silent do not concern only the child itself, but also the child’s relatives – parents and siblings, as well as all those individuals who come into contact with such a child. Silence and remaining silent when facing a child with cancer will be analyzed from various perspectives and dimensions, including diagnosis and treatment. For us, the most significant and at the same time the most unique situation is the one when silence and remaining silent embrace a child who cannot be cured and inevitably approaches death.In this paper we will attempt to answer a few key questions: Are silence and remaining silent a necessity or perhaps a natural reaction to the surrounding reality? Or, perhaps, their appearance is definitely unjustified. Maybe they should not accompany a child with cancer. Is it better or would it be better to speak or remain silent? And finally – where can the sources of such silence and remaining silent be found?

Silence and remaining silent occupy a significant position in human life. We need silence to think over many matters, and sometimes it is necessary to re-think them, especially considering modern civilization overwhelmed with noise, chaos, haste and overuse of words lacking meaning. We need silence to express our respect for human dignity by remaining silent. This article will first present a general understanding of silence and remaining silent. Then we will refer these notions to situations when a space of silence and remaining silent emerges around a child with cancer. The sources of such specific space will be indicated. Silence and remaining silent do not concern only the child itself, but also the child’s relatives – parents and siblings, as well as all those individuals who come into contact with such a child. Silence and remaining silent when facing a child with cancer will be analyzed from various perspectives and dimensions, including diagnosis and treatment. For us, the most significant and at the same time the most unique situation is the one when silence and remaining silent embrace a child who cannot be cured and inevitably approaches death.In this paper we will attempt to answer a few key questions: Are silence and remaining silent a necessity or perhaps a natural reaction to the surrounding reality? Or, perhaps, their appearance is definitely unjustified. Maybe they should not accompany a child with cancer. Is it better or would it be better to speak or remain silent? And finally – where can the sources of such silence and remaining silent be found?