"Speech is Silver, Silence is Golden".Unlike most proverbs this one stands true to this day. Sometimes, silence is golden, perhaps Platinum. Silence is a language in itself. It can convey anger, frustration, loneliness, hatred, and what not. I learned this the hard way.
When I sit at home and recollect my experiences with my past friends, I realized that I had completely failed to understand what their silence meant.
In one of my previous organizations (elearning companies), I made some very good friends such as A,Sjna, H, and Snch. Since I was very young at that time, I never knew the proper way to conduct myself in a professional atmosphere. Morever, in a desperate attempt to prove myself, I ended up doing things which hurt many of my friends unintentionally.
To their credit, none of them made a fuss of things until the situation went out of control. Even then, all of them were SILENT about it. Very Silent. I didn't realize that their silence was directed to admonish my ways. Alas, I realized it too late.
The next instance came in the very next company that I joined. Life was going smooth till the fifth month. I had made considerable number of friends by then, two of them being my 'best friends'. Our company participated in a rowing competition. The competition required us to take part in early morning training sessions which meant that all of us had to start from our homes as early as 5:30 in the morning.
In spite of being a lazy bird, I joined the rowing team just because two of my best friends were also participating. After two great months of fun and frolic, we beat our opponents and won the regatta. Alas, after the competition, our friendship was never the same. Both my friends started distancing away slowly. I heard that one of them had invited almost every other friend in the group for a party at her house. To top it, none of them even mentioned about it. I failed to understand that I was not required anymore. To add insult to injury, on the day when we won the coveted trophy, there was a photo session of which I was not a part. Nobody cared to inform me either. All this considering that I was the one of those few who practiced regularly and cheered our team to the hilt. One of my 'friends' conveniently took this perfect opportunity to become the darling of our group. From then onwards, I became a total stranger to that friend. She was the attention-grabber of our concern for a while. All I could do was just smile and get back to work. Because I realized that real friends are hard to find.
What the heck? Even the girl whom I used to love, remained silent when I proposed. But at least, her silence was most meaningful.
Sometimes, it pays to listen to your brain rather than your heart.
How strange is life? You ignore your friends who stay with you in times of need, but strive to be with those who don't care.
You try to gain the respect of people whom you shouldn't be even caring about.
How do you feel when your "friends" try to ignore you silently rather than just ask you to leave them alone? Well, I may never know the answers to these questions.
After learning some valuable lessons over the years, I have decided that from now onwards, I should never expect anything from my peers or colleagues. And, I shall not speak much too. I have spoken enough.
To all my good friends who supported me and loved me knowing WHAT I AM: Thank you!
To all those people who were once my friends: Thanks for the memories! May we never cross paths again! God bless you all.
Labels: Friends, Personal, Silence, True Friendship
