Friday, March 4, 2011

The Long Silence......

I often wonder if it is better to live a life of silence versus saying it like it is.  I have found in my life that I surround myself with strong women/men.  Most, if not all; will tell you exactly what they are thinking without batting an eye.  Like it or leave it lifestyle.  However, I find myself always taking the step back to think and regroup my thoughts.   I do this both at work and at home.  I take it all in and then “reflect on it”.  The only time that I do not take this tactic is when I am beyond mad (guess it is the Irish and Italian)..who knows!  This brings me to my last question on FB and what kept me up again the other night.  “Would you rather always say what is on your mind or never speak again…why?”.
The majority of my friends all fell in the category of “say what is on your mind”.  Here are some of the responses:
I'd say what's on my mind to myself”(I loved this one…gets him out of any conflict with his words)
“We already know I have trouble keeping my trap shut...so always speak my mind, because then I wouldn't have to worry about being quiet.”
“Honey I already ALWAYS speak my mind...that is usually why everyone is mad at me”
“Definitely the former! people need to get REAL and just start handling it!”
“If you can dish it out you should be able to take it and if you cant then dont say nothing”
Of course, there was one that fell in the same category as me.  I think this is what makes our friendship so interesting.  Someone eventually has to “give” and have a conversation right?  Not with this one…  His response “Never speak again...the world isn't ready for what's going on in there”.  I actually agree with him.  I am not sure I would really want to know what is thoughts are. He has kept them hidden for so many years; it might take awhile to get them all out.  He also might have to actually address some of them and he is extremely non-confrontational.
OK, so why did I dwell on this question?  I again was wondering..could we really handle a life of complete “openness”.  Do I really want to know what people think of me on their first impression, second impression, or lifelong impression?  Do I really want to tell them what I think of them?  Do I tell them that I think the dress they are wearing is way too tacky?  Do I look at that good looking guy in the bar and just say “I find you to be incredibly hot”.  Do I announce in the middle of dinner that I am totally afraid to be happy?  That is all included in speaking your mind.  No holding back…what you think is what you say.  Does that change your answer? 
I definitely think the easiest route is silence.  I spent many years attempting to communicate and then finding myself resorting back to silence.  So I definitely think it is a more comfortable spot for me.  After all, I believe words are nothing compared to what I see from just looking into someone’s eyes.  You can tell a lot about a person through their eyes.  So if you think you can really live a life of “saying what is on your mind”, try it for one day.  My only recommendation would be to do it on a Saturday or Sunday.  I don’t want anyone to lose their job…  I am just Keeping it REAL…….  Cheers and Happy Friday Everyone!

No comments:

Post a Comment