Pass me the duck tape and shut my mouth, because not even my own willpower could stop me from talking. I guess I should start by saying that, upon explaining my experiment column to a few classmates, they suggested that I go a whole day without talking. Well, this was much easier said than done.
Talking is like breathing. It's an intrinsic function of life that we all too commonly take for granted. Humans need constant communication to survive, especially chatter bugs like myself. Without interaction and conversation, everything on our minds is kept inside, bottled up, locked away in the secret vaults of our subconscious.
As a very open person, attempting to go a day without talking was nearly impossible, but I was open to giving it a try.
My day started off normal, until I walked into class and realized that I couldn't say "Good morning" or ask how my friends' weekend was. It was almost as if society was rejecting me. Anything I wanted to say was irrelevant. Since I couldn't talk, no one could listen. But I wasn't ready to let my feelings of alienation deter me just yet.
Once I returned home, I dove into a pile of homework. Diligently distracted, my friend Rob walked into the living room and initiated a conversation. We began talking when all of a sudden, I remembered about my vow of silence. I blurted out, "Profanity! I'm not supposed to talk today!" It had been but three hours and I already had failed.
I kept my mouth shut the rest of the day as I finished attending my classes. But I couldn't help feeling ostracized. Even though I silently listen to my iPod every other day as I walk through campus, the fact that my lips were sealed was simply unbearable.
By about 4 p.m., you know, after lunch and a nap, I was ready to call it quits. I needed attention. And it doesn't help that my lovely roommate Abbey is the best listener that God has graced the earth with.
Needless to say, we were literally dying to talk to each other. So I threw in the cards.
In regards to the ‘dare' that my classmates had presented me with, I did not succeed. In fact, Abbey and I ended up going for a long walk where we talked, and talked, and talked. It felt so comforting to communicate again!
I did learn a few things from this experiment, though.
For one, I realized that talking is a gift that I should not take for granted.
Words are a beautiful thing and should be chosen wisely.
Besides, I'd rather spend my time saying something meaningful than not saying anything at all.
In addition, I'm going to try to be a better listener. Communication is a two-part process - sender and receiver. I need people to listen to what I have to say in order to feel accepted and appreciated. Therefore, I must pay others the same respect, attentively listen, and play the communication game like a boss.
Talk about winning.
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