Silence of the lambs

I was really surprised to see the lambs all herded by the Scottish sheep dog along the hillside, and they all seemed to know exactly where they were heading. In fact, the lambs were all heading back to the very places and spots they were born. But what made this scene so unusual, in my mind, was the sheer silence of the hills, apart from the wind being caught in my ear. The sheep dog did its work without a bark, and the sheep were not bleating a bit. Then I realised these were all just lambs. Then it dawned on me how we have lost appreciation for the expression, "the silence of the lambs", except for the popular horror flick of the same name (Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster). I realise that we are so removed from our pastoral and agrigarian roots - hunter or cultivator - that these wonderful observations of nature are being lost. There is something eerie and peculiar to the modern mind to see lambs moving up the hillside in such silence. Perhaps, it is a survival instinct to keep predators afar through stealth. But perhaps it is just part of their compliant nature? The silence of lambs: perhaps meekness is good for the pilgrim who only wants to arrive and complete the journey.