Vow of Silence

As a few of you may know, I had been seriously considering taking a vow of silence this week, starting today and ending on Easter. I hereby announce that I have decided NOT to go through with this and I will state my reasons why.


I am not afraid of doing this. That is not my reason for deciding not to take a vow of silence. I do not care what people would think. I do not care that it might be awkward at times. I do not care that people would think that I am weird. If you know me, you already know that I am weird, so it doesn't matter.


The two biggest reasons are that 1) It would be a huge inconvenience, especially with everything that's going on this week. 2) I can accomplish the same thing I would have accomplished by not speaking without actually vowing to not speak.




For those of you who still have no idea what I'm talking about, here's the scoop: a week or two ago, I was reading my Bible and whatever I read made me stop and think about actions speaking louder than words. 


How can we best accomplish letting our actions speak louder than our words? By not allowing ourselves to communicate with words at all. 


If we cannot speak, I have no choice but to communicate with you using only my actions. (This does not include sign language.) If I want to let someone know I care about them and love them, rather than telling them, I should just hug them or pat them on the back. If they are upset, I should cry with them and hold their hand rather than just saying "There, there. Everything will be just fine." I can smile and laugh with friends without trying to make myself the center of attention. I can listen to people. Talking very much can be selfish. For example, if my friend has a problem that they need to talk about, or if they need to vent, but all I want to do is tell them all about that funny thing that happened on my way to class earlier today, I'm not being very caring at all. In fact, I'm being pretty selfish. Listening rather than talking makes a world of a difference.


However, the more I thought about the reality of what vowing not to speak would be like, the more I realized that, while it may be beneficial at times, it would really just be obnoxious, a big hassle, quite inconvenient, and totally unnecessary.  It would even be rude, when a "thanks" or "sorry" or "hi" is expected of me. 


However, this is not going to stop me from trying to make some changes. I think God put this on my mind for a reason, to make me aware of my words verses my actions. I know I can do a better job of showing people how much I care rather than just saying it. I also know that, although many of you probably already view me as a quiet, soft-spoken individual, I talk way more than I need to. I really do. I should listen a lot more. I should ask more questions and allow plenty of room for answers. I shouldn't demand constant conversation. If I'm with someone, and both of us just wants to listen, and neither of us says anything, so be it. We will listen to the birds and the wind or the music or the people around us or the silence. We do not need to add to the noise. Let us be content with our ears and not our mouths.


Radical change is not a bad thing. I wish it would have made more sense to do this. Maybe someday, when it is more practical, I will. I don't know if that day will ever come, but maybe. Maybe when I can get someone to do it with me, then it will make more sense to people who might just blow me off as a freak (I don't mind that, but it won't benefit them at all if that's what's going through their minds.)


So, in the words of Lilly Moscovitz from The Princess Diaries, "Shut up and listen."


And always let your actions speak louder than your words.


God bless.