Most people have never known true silence. There is almost always something in the background such as the sound of someone’s breathing, the sound of shifting position on a sofa, or the sound of the AC. Even air has a sound when it gusts past as a gentle breeze or a strong wind. In a silent classroom, one can still hear the scraping of pencils and the rustling of papers.

There are many people, however, who have always known silence. Though they are often overlooked as a minority, the Deaf community is made up of people from every corner of the earth. There are different kinds of “sign language” based upon what country a Deaf person is from, and signs can even vary within a country, like an accent. People in the American north might have a different sign for a particular word than those in the south.

What would it be like if the world were totally silent? To never know the sound of another person’s voice, laugh, or cry; to never hear the annoying sounds that come from incessant humming or the tapping of a pencil; to never know the sounds of nature such as a babbling brook or a singing sparrow—that idea is hard for us hearing people to comprehend.

We tend to force other people to come to our level. But what if we stopped and stooped down to the level of someone else? Instead of forcing the Deaf to learn how to lip-read and speak, what if we learned sign language? I’ve been learning American Sign Language off-and-on for three years now, and it’s one of the most rewarding endeavors I’ve ever experienced. It’s fun getting to talk to the Deaf and learning things about them. 🤟