It took every ounce of courage he had to say anything. He had always been shy, and he was terribly afraid of being made fun of. He knew that if he ever opened his mouth, he would say the wrong thing and be rediculed. He had been that way all his life. People probably thought he didn't know anything, and that wasn't far from the truth. He wasn't overly bright, and that just added to his fear. It came as quite a shock to him then, when one of the girls in his class came to him for help with her assignments. She told him that she had always thought that he was smart because he wasn't always talking and trying to impress everyone. What he feared most was that his silence would be taken as ignorance, while instead it was being perceived as maturity and intelligence. We don't have to be brillant, but it is important that we learn to keep our mouths shut when the situation warrants it. No one likes a know-it-all, and it is much better to say too little, than to always say too much. The wise person doesn't always have to be talking. They find comfort in silence rather than awkwardness. A fool speaks to cover silence, and ends up saying silly and senseless things. The saying goes, "Silence is golden," and in many cases a truer word was never spoken.
I think that I have so much that is worth saying. Help me to remember that I learn more when I listen than when I speak. Help me to hold my peace, and give others time to share their thought and feelings.
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You only live once; but if you work it right, once is enough. There is nothing better than the encouragement of a good friend.
I have always had the fear that I wasn't smart as others, but usually felt that I had to speak up so I wouldn't seem not to know anything. About half the time, I ended up wishing I had waited and listened.
"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln
Just checking this out, not sure how it all works...Lani
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"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. "
Just checking this out, not sure how it all works...Lani
Well didn't you just sum up all of us in a random non-sequitur.
It took every ounce of courage he had to say anything. He had always been shy, and he was terribly afraid of being made fun of. He knew that if he ever opened his mouth, he would say the wrong thing and be rediculed. He had been that way all his life. People probably thought he didn't know anything, and that wasn't far from the truth.
This reminds me of me, except I clam up in a group of people I don't know- and especially when I'm unsure of myself and what I know of a certain topic- and then I feel I talk too much around people I know.
I can be totally informed and have all my ducks in a row and have practiced what I'm going to say and still I get butterflies when I speak in front of a group.
