a year of silence

1/28/14

  I began experimenting with long periods of personal silence about 3 years ago. I would not speak for periods of 24, 48 and 72 hours. The initial insights gained from these short experiences has proved valuable in my effort to remain silent for an entire year.
  During the first experiments with silence, unconscious noises on my part became glaringly apparent. Much to my dismay, i discovered that i was one of those people who makes that annoying "ahhhh" sound after a refreshing drink. While driving alone with all the windows rolled up, i would wave and verbally thank someone for letting me into traffic, even though it was virtually impossible for them to actually hear me. If i burped or hiccuped, i said "excuse me" even if there was no one else around. I would conduct deep philosophical discourses with absolutely no one except myself (and still manage to be boring...).
  In the early stages, i needed noise so badly that i would find surreptitious ways of slipping it into my quiet stretches. I found myself unconsciously breathing louder, clicking my tongue, and drumming with my fingers. I would close doors harder and shuffle my feet more intentionally. I was uproariously "quiet".
  As these loud little habits began fading away, it enabled me to think more clearly. I became much more tranquil. It felt like i was slowly turning down the volume on a radio that has suddenly become a noisy distraction.