（#silence #reticence #say #speak）Silence: The thoughts harbored and the carefully chosen by those adept at speaking

1: The Eloquent Inner Voice Hidden Behind the Silence

"That person is quiet, so I have no idea what they're thinking."
"People who are reserved probably don't have any opinions of their own."

In everyday communication, "quiet people" are often misunderstood.

Whether it's staying silent when asked for an opinion in a meeting, or being unable to come up with a clever retort to a joke in private.

Seeing such behavior, those around them often
"have no idea what they are thinking,"
"assume they are quiet and therefore have no particular preferences,"
"or decide that 'anything goes when talking to them,'"
frequently interpreting things in their own way.

However, that is a huge mistake.

Just because someone is quiet, it does not mean their mind is empty—not by any means.

Rather, it is often just that the words do not come out, while inside, an incredibly rich, and sometimes intense, tide of emotions and thoughts is swirling.

In this article, we will approach the truth about the nature of being "quiet," delving deeply into the conflicts faced by those who lack the words,
and the terrifying violence that language itself can possess.

2: Just Because Words Don't Come Out as Voice, Thoughts Are Always Running at Full Speed

"Being quiet does not mean one isn't thinking of anything."

If you could peek inside the mind of a quiet person, most people would be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.

They deeply take in the other person's words, guess the background behind them, and instantly run various simulations: how should I respond, or will this expression hurt their feelings?

As described in this article, inside the mind of a quiet person, there are actually so many different things they are thinking about.

• How will they feel if I say this?
• Could there be a risk in making this comment right now?
• Which words would be best to accurately convey this emotion of mine?
• Will this expression cause a misunderstanding?
• In this current context, is making this statement truly right?
• By speaking up here, will I ruin the atmosphere of the room?

Just because they don't say it, it doesn't mean they aren't thinking about many things.

The silence of a quiet person is neither rejection nor indifference; it is nothing less than the manifestation of a world within that is far too rich.

This very blog post you are reading right now is proof of that.

If quiet people truly "thought of nothing," it would be impossible for such earnest, logical messages to be spun outward like this.

Just because it doesn't manifest as spoken words,
a distinct "will" and "emotion" exist inside them,
forming a dense world deep enough to write an entire book.

3: The Difference Between Talkative People and Quiet People

In this world, there are "talkative people" who can immediately voice whatever comes to their mind.
This is a trait that works effectively in lively settings, such as with comedians or at festive events.

While their talking skills appear attractive at first glance,
from the perspective of a quiet person, they can sometimes seem like "shortsighted individuals" whose "brains are simply hardwired directly to their mouths."

The decisive difference between talkative people and quiet people lies in
"whether or not they can pause to think if it is truly okay to utter those words."

Quiet people fear the impact their words might have on others and carefully examine them.

On the other hand, those who are merely fast talkers short-sightedly spit out whatever random thoughts they have directly into spoken words.
As a result, they frequently hurt someone or brandish shallow, reckless arguments.

If you are a fast talker who is just talkative, try making a conscious effort.

• Before pushing a random thought straight out as spoken words, pause to think and stay silent for a moment

Just a few seconds is perfectly fine.
Before you spit out your words, please stop and think for a moment.

By experiencing that moment of silence, you should be able to understand at least a little bit of "the feelings of quiet people" who stay silent while trying to choose their words carefully.

4: The Reserved People Who Don't Retaliate: The Anguish of the Receiving End

In this world, there are quiet, reserved people who never talk back, even when unreasonable things are said to them or when they are blamed in a harsh tone.

The moment some people realize someone is like this, they take on an aggressive attitude.
They try to force their own opinions through, or sometimes hurl words that even deny the other person's character.

Those who do not talk back often have their words jammed in their minds, even if they want to object.
In other cases, they intentionally choose silence, thinking, "If I argue back here, it will only drag us deeper into a quagmire."

Those around them tend to view it as:
"Because they are weak-willed,"
"Because they have no counterargument,"
"Since they don't talk back, they make a good outlet for my stress,"
or "I can say whatever I want to them."
But in reality, that is not the case.

The reason they do not talk back is that they dislike conflict, or they know the terrifying nature of hurting people with words.

As you read this article, does this strike a chord with you as well?

"At that time, this is what I really wanted to say."
"I have a firm conviction within myself, but when I try to voice it, it gets stuck in the back of my throat."

Yet, there are people who take advantage of that kindness and caution.

5: Frustration with Verbal Abuse

People who are not good with words are not feeling nothing when dealing with an opponent who takes advantage of their silence to rattle on with verbal attacks.

However, because they cannot weaponize words in the same way their opponent does, they take the full brunt of this verbal abuse, bleeding internally in their hearts.

Deep inside, intense frustration and anger at the unfairness are bubbling like boiling magma.

8 Mental Burdens That Poor Communicators Face Daily

• 1. Loss of opportunity to assert oneself

  The conversation ends before they can argue back or assert their legitimacy, as they are unilaterally rattled at based entirely on the opponent's convenience and pace.

• 2. "Impatience and panic" from being unable to keep up with the opponent's speed

  Being showered with words one after another causes information processing in the brain to fall behind, freezing their thoughts along with intense anxiety.

• 3. Misunderstanding from others

  Seeing them not talking back, people around them jump to the conclusion that "it's their own fault for staying silent."

• 4. "Malice and condescension" conveyed through the opponent's facial expressions and tone of voice

  They are mentally worn down by sensing clear malice, not just from the words spoken, but from the opponent's cold gaze and mocking tone of voice.

• 5. Isolated accumulation of mental stress

  Because they cannot release their anger or sadness through words, they bottle everything up inside, losing any way to escape.

• 6. Cognitive freeze due to pressure

  Even if there is something they want to say, they are overwhelmed by the opponent's intimidating attitude and loud voice, causing their mind to go completely blank and words to fail them.

• 7. "Unjust sense of defeat and unfairness" where the loudest voice wins

  Anger toward the fact that who is right does not matter; instead, the one who is simply "quick-tongued" or "has a louder voice" dominates the situation, making them look like the wrongdoer.

• 8. Feeling of oppression with no escape and "deeply accumulating resentment"

  They feel a sense of dread as if mentally imprisoned by walls of words, and the anger and regret that could not be released on the spot accumulate deeply like sediment at the bottom of their hearts.

In this way, while the side rattling on may feel "refreshed" or think they "won the argument,"
the time spent being unilaterally showered with verbal bullets is an unimaginably stressful experience.
Beneath their feet, "quiet magma of anger" that could explode at any moment is steadily accumulating.

Even if they appear expressionless on the surface and look as if they are barely listening, a violent storm is raging inside their hearts, bringing them one step closer to their "limit."

6: The Blade of Words and Physical Force: Which is the Real Crime?

No matter how reserved a person may be, anger and frustration continue to accumulate in their heart.

When unreasonably blamed, quiet people cannot instantly come up with clever retorts on the spot.

As a result, emotions that have reached their limit may manifest through alternative means—namely, in the form of "violence."

Here, we must look directly at a highly absurd reality in modern society.

Act	Physical Evidence	Legal Treatment
Verbal Violence (Railing at someone, cornering them mentally)	Hard to retain (Invisible)	Hard to treat as a crime (Invisible)
Physical Violence (Lashing out physically, sudden retaliation)	Easy to retain (Scars/Bruises)	Treated as the perpetrator of an assault case (Visible)

Is this not utterly unfair?

There is no changing the fact that both are "acts that severely hurt the opponent."
Just because there is no physical evidence, it does not mean the pain of the quiet person, who was hurt first, should be ignored.

The Truth of the "Invisible Scars" That Destroy the Mind

Physical violence leaves behind "physical evidence" such as bleeding, bruises, or fractures.
Because of this, it is easier for the police to take action, and the law can clearly prosecute it as a crime.

However, when a heart is torn to shreds by words, leaving scars deep enough to cause mental illness, there are no visible marks left behind.

Even if there is no physical evidence in the form of a visible scar,
"the one who was hurt first, and more deeply, was the quiet person who was being verbally abused daily."
That is the reality.

A society where the party who first thoroughly corners the opponent with verbal violence and destroys their mind can get off scot-free by making excuses like:
"I never laid a hand on them,"
or "We were just having a discussion."

Meanwhile,
the quiet party, who out of desperation raised their hand simply to escape that unbearable pain or to defend themselves, is condemned as the unilateral villain.

Verbal violence can sometimes destroy a person's mind more deeply and permanently than being stabbed with a knife.

The anger of a quiet person can, one day, suddenly manifest as a destructive impulse that transcends words.

Are you sure you won't be stabbed tomorrow?

Are you going to be okay?

7: The Truth Behind the News Saying, "They Didn't Seem Like That Kind of Person"

You might just be a bystander watching the television news, or perhaps, there is a possibility you could be one of the parties involved.

When a horrific incident occurs, we often see scenes on TV news programs where acquaintances or neighbors of the perpetrator are interviewed.
They say in unison, things like the following:

• "I thought they were a quiet person, but..."
• "They were quiet, serious, and didn't look like someone who would cause such an incident."
• "They didn't seem like the type of person to commit such an audacious crime."
• "They were always smiling and weren't the type to cause trouble."

The public tends to perceive this as "they suddenly changed" or "they had a hidden side," but that misses the true essence.

When the Dam of Accumulated Emotions Finally Breaks

Because quiet people cannot easily talk back on the spot even when subjected to unreasonable verbal violence daily, they are unable to release their stress in small doses.

They are not good at complaining,
nor are they good at arguing back.

For this reason, they store all the stress and hurt they receive inside the "emotional dam" within their own hearts.

Since they appear to those around them as "the same quiet, obedient person as always," the attackers escalate their behavior and continue to hurl even harsher words at them.

However, no matter how massive a dam may be, there is a limit to its storage capacity.

One day, triggered by just a single definitive remark or a trivial incident, that dam reaches its absolute limit and breaks.

When the years or decades of accumulated anger and despair burst forth all at once,
it unleashes an explosive force far beyond the imagination of those around them,
developing into a literal "incident."

This is precisely why the more reserved a person is, the more likely they are to suddenly cause an incident one day.

The More Reserved a Person Usually Is

The fact that more reserved people are the ones who suddenly cause serious incidents one day is nothing less than the "explosion resulting from continuously bottling up verbal violence" that we have discussed.

They certainly did not "just go crazy all of a sudden one day."

Rather, they were "gradually driven crazy by verbal violence."

The reason they remained sane until the day before the incident was because,
even though "they had emotions angry enough to drive them mad," they were "exercising self-control to stay sane."

They were beaten with words and stabbed with words on a daily basis.
Yet, they couldn't talk back, received no understanding from those around them, and despite frantically spinning thoughts in their heads, they were left helpless,
unable to ask anyone for help.

It is not that "they didn't seem like that kind of person"; it is simply that those around them were far too indifferent to their "invisible SOS" or the "blood flowing in their hearts."

To those around them, they may have just been a "harmless, quiet person,"
but on the inside, due to the lack of understanding and verbal violence from others, they were climbing the stairs to their limit, step by step.

It is just that the moment that accumulated, magma-like anger and despair exceeded their capacity, it erupted into society in the worst possible form.

The words "they didn't seem like that kind of person" are, conversely, a confession that "I had absolutely no interest in that person's inner self."

We must not mistake the silence of a reserved person for "tranquility."
That silence might be a bomb's countdown, and no one knows when it will explode.

All of this is nothing but proof that the people around them were conveniently judging their inner world based solely on their "appearance" and "taciturnity."

Looking only at the surface,
quiet people are placed at a disadvantage in a social community centered around words.

Just because someone is quiet, it does not mean they aren't thinking of anything.

8: Where Is the Message of This Blog Coming From?

If they, as quiet people, truly had nothing to say and were thinking of nothing,
where on Earth is the message of this blog—the one you are reading right now—coming from?

This text itself is the very proof of the "indescribable passion" that resides inside a quiet person.

Being able to speak words fluently is not the sole proof of human intelligence or worth.

Rather, it is precisely because they cannot easily put things into words that quiet people know the weight of language better than anyone else.

If there is a quiet person around you who is always silent, please do not mistake that silence for "nothingness."

Just because someone is quiet or reserved, it does not mean they are "inferior" or "weaker" than you, who are eloquent.

They might be in the middle of frantically searching for words in their head right now, or desperately trying to digest an item of careless speech you threw at them within their heart.

Railing against someone with words to force them into submission is not a victory; it is the abandonment of dialogue.

We need to listen more closely to the rich, and sometimes fragilely delicate, "voice" that exists within our own hearts, don't you think?