Life isn’t just about talking. Sometimes, we just sit in silence. Sometimes it’s in the library, other times it is at home. But silence often speaks louder than words.
And I’m not talking only about the so called ‘silent treatment,’ although it fits this quote. There are times when there are no words, and times when silence is the most appropriate thing to say.
The statement expresses that if an individual can't comprehend your quiet, how might they appropriately comprehend your words when you do express? Quiet is as much a piece of correspondence as rests are a piece of music. Without the rests, without the quietness, there is no respite, there is no reflection. Simply commotion.
To understand the silence of a person, it is helpful to understand the person. We all have times when we are silent, and times when we are not. If you do not understand the need for silence, your ability to understand the other times is questionable.
Why is understanding silence important?
There are, as referenced previously, ordinarily when quiet is proper. There are times when word will not say what you feel, and quiet is the suitable other option. There are times when words are basically occupying room and not giving anything helpful, and quietness is just the most ideal other option.
There are times when just being is adequate, and words would be unseemly, and quiet is fitting. There are times when words would detract from the concentration or exertion nearby, and quiet is the fitting other option. There are a lot of different occasions when quietness is helpful or suitable.
Yet there are people who seem oblivious to the need or appropriateness of silence, and keep on talking. Some may not know any better, others may be in love with the sound of their own voice, and a few are actually afraid of the silence. Without the basic knowledge of silence, how can they truly understand what you say?
This quote isn’t about hoping people understand what you mean when you are giving them the ‘silent treatment.’ Instead, I believe that this quote is urging us to pay attention to the silence, and to understand how it is part of communication. Without that understanding, it will be hard to understand any of the rest.
There are a lot of statements about correspondence, yet this would one say one is of my top choices: "The single most serious issue in correspondence is the deception that it has occurred." How regularly do you wind up having a more drawn-out conversation in the wake of having acted after a conversation you misconstrued?
Similarly, how often do you pause for a moment, either to catch your breath or for dramatic effect, only to have someone jump in and take over the conversation? Have you ever been the person who jumped in and hijacked the conversation? I know I have, and even today do so, on occasion.
And that is just one way to misunderstand or misuse silence. How many others have you managed to mangle, or witness being mangled? No one is perfect, and we have to work to better understand the use of silence.
Silence is as much a part of life and conversation as are the words. Spend as much time contemplating the value of silence as you do contemplate the value of what is said. For sometimes what is not said is just as important.
