Are you sure “Silence is Golden”? Sorry, I have my doubts.

I have been told that “Silence is Golden” when I was very young.

Now that I am an adult, I realised this Life Lesson isn’t as simple as it seems.

Right?

This isn’t a story about conspiracy theories of the Big Tech and Central governments. This is a reflection from my personal experience.

Can you imagine a noisy meeting room where absolutely everyone else is chiming in to contribute in a disorderly and unstructured manner?

I don’t think we need to imagine it.

We have seen it.

It is natural for the Chairperson to structure the agenda for the meeting and ensure that the meeting goes along to plan.

That includes controlling the crowd in order to bring discussion to conclusion.

I get that.

My point is — It siphons energy.

Try chairing 3 meetings in a row.

You will feel absolutely wiped out and a sense of disappointment that no real work is done.

Meeting participants feel the same.

While eager to contribute, their willingness to open their mouths wanes as the meeting drags on. They are worried about the work-pile at their desks and their knock-off time.

So, they choose to be silent.

It is the same at home.

If we come home from work feeling absolutely washed-out, the last thing we want to attend to is a domestic squabble.

And when we have to, small things blow out of proportion.

That is when watching the television becomes a perception that our kids will not amount to anything in life.

That is when a request to dispose the rubbish becomes World War 3 as extremely directed words are exchanged for sympathy.

“Don’t you know that I had a long day? Don’t you know that I had to work hard to bring the bacon home? And you mean you can’t even throw this?”

“What do you mean? Can’t you see that I am busy keeping the house clean? Can’t you see that I need to take care of the kids? Can’t you see that I am darn busy?”

You know what I mean.

We exhibit this behaviour pretty frequently, especially when Life weighs us down.

We seek a sense of peace and harmony through disengagement.

So, we choose silence.

No matter how tired we are when we get home, we choose to shut our trap and just do things assigned.

I am guilty of this.

In fact, I hope I am not alone.

And of course, “having a long day” could just be a socially acceptable excuse.

The point is, we need to have time for ourselves as well.

Time to read, time consume entertainment that truly entertain even if it is financial news, time to have a chat with friends even if it is as frivolous as tribes of men chasing after a ball.

We want that.

And therefore, we have to make a choice.

That choice lies in the way we deliberate over need to silence.

So “Silence” is not in itself an act of Gold.

It is an act of acceptance.

“Silence, is Acceptance”.

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About the Author:

As a Consultant by training, I believe in making the complex simple.

Because simplicity adds value.

Simplicity helps us gain clarity, and clarity helps us to grow.

And if we are not growing, then what’s the point of anything else?

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