Today was my first day taking a vow of silence--and aside from the motivating factor of LGBT rights--it was really a unique experience. Given that I am quite talkative on any other day, I found that by not talking, I actually felt different. Most profoundly, by expending less energy communicating, I reached deeper thought and concentration, and was just much more introspective. It was also fun to interact with someone in a different way, namely gestures and notes. At the end of the day when I began to speak again, it felt strange, and I really appreciated language and how easy it becomes to interact. I suppose I just felt more in touch with myself, and appreciated engaging with others more.
I really want to make it a goal to spend, if not a day, but half a day of the week being silent. We'll see...
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2 comments:
As a usually chatty person as well, I applaud your efforts to remain silent in support of those who have had to do the same.
Your ability to reach a deeper concentration and thought process was intriguing to me as it is something that I feel I could greatly benefit from. I'll have to work on that but in the meantime, thank you for the idea and meaningful reflection!
P.S. I linked to your article on my blog =)
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