Kanye West is vowing to go silent after making discriminatory remarks that resulted in him losing partnerships with Adidas, GAP, and JPMorgan Chase, among other companies. The rapper announced on Twitter that he is going on a 30-day “cleanse” that entails: “a verbal fast, no alcohol, no adult films, no intercourse.” In his post, West made it a point to state that he’s “not talking to nooobody for a month.”
In doing so, he is effectively taking a vow of silence, a practice that has a long history.
Vows of Silence
A vow of silence is a declaration that one will maintain silence for a period of time. Vows of silence are usually associated with religious orders, in particular monasticism. Most notably, Trappist and Carthusian monks and nuns lead lives marked by solitude, as a way to practice continual prayer and introspection. Many Buddhist monks take vows of silence as a way to quiet the mind and practice thoughtful speech. This “noble silence” involves meditating for several hours a day, or longer, with no talking, no writing, no reading, and no social media. Monks of various orders often refrain from speaking between evening prayers and morning prayers.
In some religions, silence is seen as a way to deepen a relationship with God, a higher power, or a spiritual force. In various Western Christian traditions, the Great Silence is observed by Lutherans and Roman Catholics. This is a period of total silence, usually from night prayers until the next morning, and is a practice that goes back to the beginnings of monasticism in the third century. Silence is also embraced by others as a way to deepen spirituality. Quakers practice silent worship, in which they gather together in silence to quiet their minds. In this stillness they seek a connection—with God, the Light Within, with those around them, or they seek a connection with their deepest selves.
Secular Silence
In society, silence is practiced as a quiet contemplation or reflection. A moment of silence is often a gesture of respect, particularly in mourning for those who have died recently or to remember tragedies. On Remembrance Day in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and other Commonwealth countries, a moment of silence is observed to honor those who died in the line of duty during World War I. In Israel, moments of silence are held on Yom HaShoah in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. In Japan, a minute of silence is observed at ceremonies every August to remember those who were affected by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
Silence has also been used as a form of protest. In Canada, students take a 24-hour vow of silence to speak up against poverty and child abuse. In the United States, the Day of Silence is a time to spread awareness about the effects of bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students. Silence is a theme in popular culture too. In an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry meets a spiritual man named Vance who has taken a vow of silence and only communicates by mouthing words. In an episode of Seinfeld, Kramer takes a vow of silence to cure his tendency to bluntly reveal things and not keep them to himself.
Silence as Therapy
Silence can have therapeutic value too. Some people practice silence to find inspiration or to inspire creativity. A 2015 study of mice indicated that silence helped the animals develop new cells in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that aids in memory and learning. Silence can also be a form of meditation to practice mindfulness, whether it’s for a few hours or a few days. Others try a “conversation cleanse,” a detox for the brain in which they practice mindful conversation, aiming to avoid making complaints and criticisms and blaming or shaming others while avoiding other forms of negative talk. This exercise may have its roots in the Buddhist tradition of “speaking with silence,” that is, avoiding saying anything negative. In ancient Greece, Pythagoras imposed a rule of silence on his students as a form of discipline, so they might become more thoughtful in their speech.
West’s commitment to not talk for 30 days seems to be in keeping with these ideas of using silence as a way to avoid saying the wrong thing.
The real question is now: Will he be able to achieve his goal?
Source: news.google.com
