Week in Silence: Why Do It?!

Hello Lovely People!

So, when attempting a challenge like this, people will always ask “Why are you even doing it? What’s the point?” Well, since I can’t speak, I can’t really tell them. But I can blog about it! So, excluding the “getting over my fear of challenges” reason (as featured in this post here), these are ten reason why I am doing this challenge and what I hope to learn from it (why you should consider it too!)

1) Learn about Communication:

With the growth of technology taking over our communication, it can be hard to have an actual conversation that you are completely concentrated on. Your mind wanders, you are thinking about what to say instead of listening to the other person and, possibly, you are having a dual conversation via text at the same time. By taking away my ability to talk (also I try not to text and have a conversation at the same time, it’s rude), I can fully concentrate on what the other person is really trying to say, and how they are trying to say it. Also by not being able to talk, I can look at different forms of communication like sign language, mime, writing etc.

2) Learn how to Listen.

Along the same lines of 1, by taking away your ability to talk, you learn how to listen. Walt Whitman wrote how he would just “loaf” on the grass listening to the opera of sounds around him. Without worrying about how I am going to represent myself in whatever place I’m in by my conversations, I can learn how to listen to what that place truly is.

3) Learn about Self Communication.

Only when you take something away do you realize how much you miss it. By not being able to talk, I won’t be able to state my opinions on matter that might be important to me. This means I will also learn what these matters are, and how I would normally communicate about them. I hope to learn what really matters to me when it comes to communication, and how I can be better at it.

4) Learn about Storytelling.

As someone in writing school, learning to tell a good story is pretty important. By not being so caught up on what I want to say, or what stories I want to tell, I can better learn how other people tell stories. Also, by getting better at listening, I can learn about what other stories are out there.

5) Learn how to get over my fear of being forgotten.

I talk a lot. And one of the reasons that I do so (besides the fact that I’m opinionated and like conversations) is that I have a fear of being forgotten.  Which is why most people who are blabbermouths like to talk, so they get attention and aren’t forgotten. By taking away my ability to take over conversations and talk too much, I am facing this fear and will hopefully learn not to hog a conversation.

6) Learn about Group Dynamics

When you’re involved in a conversation, it can be quite hard to understand the dynamic in your group of friends. By not being able to talk, hopefully I can learn about the dynamics in my different groups of friends and family. Also I can learn about the group dynamics of different areas, like the bus, park, or grocery store.

7) Improve my Handwriting

I have horrible handwriting. If my only way to communicate is through it and miming, then hopefully both these skills will improve!

8) Learn about Time

One week can be as quick as a flash or as slow as forever. I’m already anticipating that this week may be difficult, but hopefully I will learn more about the passage of time throughout it! What makes a week go fast or slow? Is it communication, events, friends, family, your mood, your job, what?

9) Learn to be more respectful of others

By sometimes hogging the conversation, we can be rude and disrespectful, without even noticing it. By being unable to talk, hopefully I will learn how to stop this habit and let others have their say, even if I don’t agree with their opinion. I really hope to learn to concentrate on what other people have to say without concentrating on my reaction to it.

10) Vary things up a bit

I hate being a slave to routine. Not speaking for a week should hopefully shake things up!

Surprise 11!) Learn to do this as a form of Protest

I've always wanted to hold a silent protest. Going a week without silence hopefully would give me some starting tools on how to do this should I consider it in the future!

That’s all for now (three posts in 2 hours is a lot, I should actually go outside and test this challenge!) stay tuned for updates on my adventures in silence!