Silence

I grew up in a house that both revered and weaponized silence. 

Half of us were quiet by nature, comfortable without the constant buzz of conversation and unnerved when the pitch of another's voice reached an agitated apex. The others drew energy from boisterous revelry. And when hurt or challenged, responded with more never less.

In 1996, a group of students at the University of Virginia organized a protest now known as the "Day of Silence." Hoping to draw attention to the harassment and bullying experienced by many in the LGBTQ+ community, participants spend the day without voice. This wordless effort "speaks" to the silence so many encounter when targeted. It is a clarion call designed to be deafening. 

Today, so many decades later, the "Day of Silence" continues. What will it take, I wonder, for the silence to finally be heard?

"Does not everything depend on our interpretation of the silence around us?" - Lawrence Durrell