30 Hours of Silence
Over the July 4th weekend, I had brunch with two new friends who recently moved to Boulder from New York. We ended brunch around 12:30 on Saturday.
I went home, did some work, took a nap, wrote a bit, and about 8 hours later, realized that I hadnt uttered a single word.
Could I be quiet for 30 hours? Given that Sunday night was the 4th, and I was planning on hanging out with friends, I figured that it would be pretty rude if I didnt say anything. 30 hours put me at around 6:30 pm, which seemed like a good time to stop.
As I was sitting outside the Boulder Century Theaters, on a bench watching a squirrel run around, I responded to a text from my friend Dustin about the plans for the evening.
Literally, at almost exactly 6:30pm, Ben, Rachel’s boyfriend, drove by the parking lot on a scooter, and stopped to say hello.
“Hey dude,” Ben said.
“Fuck,” I thought to myself, I cant not respond. He would have no idea why, and it would be rude.
“Hey man,” I responded. It was amazing how hard it was to say something after being quiet for just 30 hours. Its not like I was silent for 17 years like John Francis, who literally walked the Earth and stayed silent for 17 years…
Watch the video. In it, John says that he stopped talking because he found that as he was silent he learned more. For me? Im not sure if I learned more, but I definitely heard more.
And not just people, but all the sounds around me. I could hear my dogs and cats wander the house. I could hear people playing around outside. I could hear the flow of life. Ok, that might sound a little hippish, but the truth is that the world has a melody, a consistent beat, a reverberation that I only hear when I have been silent for an extended period of time.
Know what I did hear? My thoughts. My brain. I was certain I would be stuck in my thoughts all day, and lose clarity, but the truth was exactly the difference. My brain slowed down. I started to have clarity of thought. My mood shifted. I was actually in better spirits. I think my constant internal dialogue stopped.
There is something about the power of silence that we forget. We spend so much time focused on communication via Facebook, Twitter, cell phones, and what not, that we forget to realize that removing ourselves from flow of sound is just as important.
I now find myself defaulting to silence. I find it easier to listen. I find it, like John, easier to learn.
Who knew that silence was really golden?
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Very inspiring. :)
I've had similar experiences in the past year or so. When you're on your own and not around people it's almost nice to be vocal, it shifts perspective in some ways. Sometimes I've gone even farther and shut off the phone/email/twittter and seen how that changes my perceptions.
An enjoyable read, thanks Micah!
I've had similar experiences in the past year or so. When you're on your own and not around people it's almost nice to be vocal, it shifts perspective in some ways. Sometimes I've gone even farther and shut off the phone/email/twittter and seen how that changes my perceptions.
An enjoyable read, thanks Micah!
I don't have a close family, so I'm often alone around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's funny, because I cherish those moments because I find myself truly silent. I once went from Wednesday night to early Friday morning over Thanksgiving without saying a single thing. It WAS strange to start talking again – almost akin to a pain but more psychological.
The best nights in my life always revolve around my own silence. Sitting in the corner of a bar surrounding by friends watching them interact. Laying with a loved one and listening to their thoughts. Sitting with someone you respect, absorbing all the knowledge you can. Good post, Micah….
I don't have a close family, so I'm often alone around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's funny, because I cherish those moments because I find myself truly silent. I once went from Wednesday night to early Friday morning over Thanksgiving without saying a single thing. It WAS strange to start talking again – almost akin to a pain but more psychological.
The best nights in my life always revolve around my own silence. Sitting in the corner of a bar surrounding by friends watching them interact. Laying with a loved one and listening to their thoughts. Sitting with someone you respect, absorbing all the knowledge you can. Good post, Micah….
Micah, thank you so much for the post. It really was a great read and the video was fantastic.
I work from home now and can sometimes go almost an entire day without having to say a word out loud. I enjoy talking to much to think I could go 17 years without talking, but I can sure appreciate the idea behind it. You really do get a sense of clarity and are able to take in what's going on around you when you aren't flapping your gums and interrupting.
Thanks again.
Micah, very cool post. I just recently had a very similar experience. Mine was only for about 17 hours but it was very calming. I was in Paris for business and had an entire day to myself to wander the streets and just “take it in”. There was something beautiful about listening to the people, the sounds of the streets, the feeling of not having to answer for anything. I was able to observe without interjecting my own dialog. It was hard at first but I quickly learned to enjoy that. I have a wonderful wife and 2 kids, it felt nice to be left alone in my own thoughts and be able to just observe. Great stuff, I especially love the John Francis piece.
Thats awesome. Part of the difficulty for me is that I am almost never able
to go about my daily life without talking to someone. Boulder is a small
town, and I tend to run into people quite often that I know.
Glad you had a similar experience, and yes the John Francis piece is
amazing…
That's awesome