COMMUNICATION IS A SKILL; UNDERSTANDING IS AN ART

I was reading an article last week when I was hit by the words, “A Muted Conversation”. For me, these 3 words embrace a deep meaning. When I asked my husband what’s that first thing coming to his mind when he heard these words, he replied, “It’s the way of life our grandparents and their forefathers lived.”. He was right, indeed. If you are a millennial, you would be able to relate to this answer. Yes, we have seen our grandparents living their life with their microphones usually turned OFF. That was a time of joint family so equations get even more complex. To be able to observe every small and big thing and still choosing to remain silent was their approach towards relations. Our generation (and the latter) are the generations who believe more in communication. We want to speak out so that we do not have any misunderstandings or ambiguities for all our relations. This is also good because after we talk/clarify situations and opinions, we are free from grudges. This is a workable approach towards maintaining our equations with people. I have lived with both these classes of people and trust me for this line, SILENCE IS A SIGN OF STRENGTH, AND NOT A WEAKNESS. You can seek attention/appreciation when you speak, but that divine respect can only be earned if you know when to remain silent.

I read a story about a father and his daughter sitting at an airport. The daughter had to depart for her new life in a new country. The clock was ticking, and it was time to say final goodbye to her father. She hugged him and said, “I will see you soon, papa”. Her father replied, “Very soon. I wish you enough”. An America author Bob Perks was sitting next to them and was quietly listening to their conversation. After the girl departed and her father was about to leave, he stopped him asking, “Did you meet your daughter for the final time in your life?”. He said, “Absolutely not”. He further asked, “If so, why did you wish her like you are seeing her for the last time?”.

He smiled and explained, “This is our family tradition. She is starting her new journey and for the very first time in her and my life, I will not be with her all the time. She will have to fight her battles without me and her mother. This battle will not be against any other person, it is her old life Vs new. Her old self would try to resist any discomforting change and her new self would have opened her arms wide to get along with the flow. When I say it is our family tradition, I mean we wish our children what may seem harsh at first. We want enough happiness in their life so they can be satisfied with life, but we also want a page full of sadness in their book of life. We want them to fully succeed but only after they have seen enough failure. We want them to have enough ‘HELLOS’ in their life but also want them to learn what a ‘FINAL GOODBYE’ costs. At times, she will have to remain silent to save a relation and sometimes, she will have to speak to protect her self-respect. I wish her enough of everything to make her realize that acceptance is the key, not all similar situations have one answer, gratitude is the way of life, being grounded is what makes you “you” and valuing the invaluable.

Some relations exist to shape us, to uncover a new side of ourselves. Some silences hold the power to win against an entire army. Some understandings exist to comfort and relax our soul. Not every battle should be won. Sometimes, the only way to win is to lose. Allow those people, silence and understanding to rule your heart. It’s an extremely healthy recipe for your life 😊

We do not need WORDS when our connections are SOUND …!!