50p
A Vow of Silence 1
On Wednesday, November 30th, I learned how it feels to be a ghost. I learned how it felt to be a prisoner in your own head, constantly thinking, constantly wanting to express yourself, but constantly silent, not a whisper able to reach the outside world, not a hand gesture able to explain your thoughts. I was a mere observer of my own life, my only contribution to my day my physical presence. I was not alone in this particular ordeal, either. A hundred and sixty Brentwood students took the Vow of Silence, an initiative of Free The Children.
The Vow is a demonstration of the lost voices of countless children around the world, whose circumstances prevent them from ever truly expressing themselves. Whether they are forced into being child soldiers in war-plagued countries in Africa, or living in abhorrent conditions across South America or Asia, they have lost their ability to speak for themselves. They have lost countless opportunities. The vow is for raising awareness for the twelve-year-old child carrying the AK47 that could have been a poet, a philosopher, or a scientist, or the eight-year-old who will never get an education because she is too busy caring for her family in a cramped home.
There were whispers of disagreement with the Vow. Why silence yourself? Why not speak up for all these people? The Vow of Silence works on a different principle. Without greater understanding of the problems, the doubters are correct; being silent for a day is not going to change a thing. But if the cause is felt, the sight of countless Brentwood students wearing signs that proudly declare “I Am Silent” reinforces the idea. When the student that answers all the questions in your biology class refrains from speaking, or when the girl in your history class who you know has the answer never puts her hand up, you gain a greater empathy for the problem. There are so many children in the world who do not get to speak, who are not heard. Why would we not show a connection with them? So what if we speak about child soldiers? Without action, those are just words. Nice words, but just words.
This is why at 8:45 am last Wednesday morning the McNeil Student Center was filled with 160 students ready to give up their voice, their cell phones and their email for the next 24 hours. They were ready to sever the connection between their friends and family back home and hopefully raise awareness of those less fortunate than themselves. It is very easy to take the opportunities that Brentwood gives us for granted. It gives us the chance to debate and partake in the Model UN, to act in plays or musicals, and to learn. It gives us countless ways to express ourselves, and in a way, the Vow is a strong reminder of that.
To go from being able to text, or speak your mind to not being able to communicate for a whole day is so hard. Shockingly hard, actually. The little things that people never think about easily undo your silence. You have to deny a friendly hello, which you are so accustomed to replying to. Ignore texts from friends, or emails from teachers. For some it can be frustrating and lonely, being alone with your thoughts; for others it was a strangely liberating experience. They felt free from the pressure to speak up in class, and they spent the day in reflective peace.
However inconveniently the Vow affected someone’s day, all it took was a little reminder of the purpose to make it worthwhile. Most students can put off their thoughts for a day when they realize that some children have to put off their thoughts for their whole life. Some children are never taught how to think to begin with. The Vow of Silence might be a struggle, but if it in any way manages to help the countless children across the world who are stuck in permanent silence, then it is a success.
The school’s SAC and SPARC and their respective sponsors, Mrs. Quinton and Mrs. Felix, jointly organized the Vow at Brentwood and deserve our sincere thanks. They organized not only a test of will, but an activity raising awareness for a great cause. An impressive one out of five students made it through the full twenty-four hours.
Unfortunately I was not part of that number. I discovered just how hard it is to not speak, not to be heard. While there will always be stories of those who lapsed throughout the day, and the steady dribble of voices rejoining the Brentwood community, there will also the stories of success, and how being a ghost changed us all.
Jonathan B.E.
The Vow is a demonstration of the lost voices of countless children around the world, whose circumstances prevent them from ever truly expressing themselves. Whether they are forced into being child soldiers in war-plagued countries in Africa, or living in abhorrent conditions across South America or Asia, they have lost their ability to speak for themselves. They have lost countless opportunities. The vow is for raising awareness for the twelve-year-old child carrying the AK47 that could have been a poet, a philosopher, or a scientist, or the eight-year-old who will never get an education because she is too busy caring for her family in a cramped home.
There were whispers of disagreement with the Vow. Why silence yourself? Why not speak up for all these people? The Vow of Silence works on a different principle. Without greater understanding of the problems, the doubters are correct; being silent for a day is not going to change a thing. But if the cause is felt, the sight of countless Brentwood students wearing signs that proudly declare “I Am Silent” reinforces the idea. When the student that answers all the questions in your biology class refrains from speaking, or when the girl in your history class who you know has the answer never puts her hand up, you gain a greater empathy for the problem. There are so many children in the world who do not get to speak, who are not heard. Why would we not show a connection with them? So what if we speak about child soldiers? Without action, those are just words. Nice words, but just words.
This is why at 8:45 am last Wednesday morning the McNeil Student Center was filled with 160 students ready to give up their voice, their cell phones and their email for the next 24 hours. They were ready to sever the connection between their friends and family back home and hopefully raise awareness of those less fortunate than themselves. It is very easy to take the opportunities that Brentwood gives us for granted. It gives us the chance to debate and partake in the Model UN, to act in plays or musicals, and to learn. It gives us countless ways to express ourselves, and in a way, the Vow is a strong reminder of that.
To go from being able to text, or speak your mind to not being able to communicate for a whole day is so hard. Shockingly hard, actually. The little things that people never think about easily undo your silence. You have to deny a friendly hello, which you are so accustomed to replying to. Ignore texts from friends, or emails from teachers. For some it can be frustrating and lonely, being alone with your thoughts; for others it was a strangely liberating experience. They felt free from the pressure to speak up in class, and they spent the day in reflective peace.
However inconveniently the Vow affected someone’s day, all it took was a little reminder of the purpose to make it worthwhile. Most students can put off their thoughts for a day when they realize that some children have to put off their thoughts for their whole life. Some children are never taught how to think to begin with. The Vow of Silence might be a struggle, but if it in any way manages to help the countless children across the world who are stuck in permanent silence, then it is a success.
The school’s SAC and SPARC and their respective sponsors, Mrs. Quinton and Mrs. Felix, jointly organized the Vow at Brentwood and deserve our sincere thanks. They organized not only a test of will, but an activity raising awareness for a great cause. An impressive one out of five students made it through the full twenty-four hours.
Unfortunately I was not part of that number. I discovered just how hard it is to not speak, not to be heard. While there will always be stories of those who lapsed throughout the day, and the steady dribble of voices rejoining the Brentwood community, there will also the stories of success, and how being a ghost changed us all.
Jonathan B.E.
75p
