They say it is good to travel, to visit other places, other people, other customs. The journey makes you more sensitive to others, more flexible, broadens your horizons, it teaches you that the saying ‘My way or the highway’ does not hint of a determined person but of one stock-full of rigidities.
Our experiences, added on top of our education, books we’ve read, music we’ve listened to, museums we’ve visited, art we’ve admired, our interactions with people, should mold us, creating works of art out of ourselves, the same way famous sculptors brought to life from rough stone, works of art close to perfection, that were admired by so many generations. Moreover, there has been so much talk recently about communication, empathy, emotional intelligence, listening, compassion, that you willy-nilly came across those notions. And yet, it seems that nothing sticks to some people. They resemble a Teflon non-stick frying pan: sturdy, enduring, nothing sticks to it.
It is the same with some people: no matter how much they have travelled, no matter how many people they have met, they remained in their unrefined state. Unpolished, they will talk to hear themselves, to gain attention, even if they do not have a constructive contribution to the conversation. It seems that they strive not to become a work of art, but rather boulders fallen next to a cliff. They may think that saying whatever goes through their head is a sign of courage, of vast knowledge. I have bad news: it is downright unsophisticated.
What I suggest:
If you do not agree with something, ask a question for clarification – but tread with care, for the way you express yourself says a lot about you, not about someone else.
Avoid asserting yourself by stepping on someone else; you don’t want to give negative clues about yourself, when you come to think of it.
If you do not have anything good or constructive to say, better say nothing, resist your own negativism, kill it from the start.
If, however, you still feel the need to bring others to shame, because you do not care anyway, because you believe you are above everyone else and you have the right to behave this way with others (I do not know who gave you this right), then do not forget that the wheel turns, and when it is empty around you, when those who were next to you out of interest no longer have to stay, the only one responsible for the frightening silence is you. And the sound of emptiness is truly horrible!