“To be or not to be - that is the question” -Hamlet, Act III, Scene I
As we've all heard the famous saying "silence is a virtue"... is it really a virtue, or do we just consider it as a virtue for our own internal safety? Truthfully, silence is a façade that deceives other people to assume the wrong things about a person or a situation. Everyday, I deceive people by being silent; as do many people out in the world deceive others. Whatever impression is given due to silence, it usually if not always ends up being the near opposite of the true personality, impression, etc.
One wonders the reason of why some people refuse to speak about the issues that they want to be silent about. There could be many reasons why one is silent, but each answer is different for each individual. Everyday, someone is raped, attacked, or they witness an attack, but many of them refuse to speak of the incident because it scares them, shames them, or makes them incredibly angry. I'm silent about many things, such as the perspectives of the minds of my family. I don't want people to know what lies in the very depths of my fathers mind; I don't want others to know how much he lives in fear, and how it's ruining everyone else’s lives. I don't want others to know just how much my mother suppresses many of the small but large things that bother her. Yet, I say I don't want anyone to know, but in reality I do want them to know just a little, so I can just get it out of my system. I feel that I don't want people to know because I'm afraid that they will misunderstand and think that I don't love them, as I really do.
Even if I were to speak about the reasons for my silence to my friends and family, Io always ask the question, "would they care and even understand why keep quiet about them to each other; being silent about my family to my friends, vice versa. No, I couldn't talk to my family about the silence I keep about them when I'm around my peers; they wouldn't understand why I'm keep so silent about their views and perspectives. My friends? It would be the same reason why I can't talk about their views and personal ideas in front of my family. Therefore, there is no one who would be able to understand the point of my silence, except myself. The silence I harbor is due to shame and fear I feel from the situations that have made me silent.
Silence has led me down many paths now. It has caused it to be hard for me to open up about personal problems with most people. Only a few individuals will ever hear my true thoughts and feelings. I don't want them to know my personal problems, because they don't need to know. I don't want them to know now, or ever really; only a select few are allowed to understand why. Most people wouldn't be able to understand anyway, since they don't have the same problems as I do.
The point is this: if you plan on keeping quiet about personal matters, expect other people to think that nothing is wrong. Silence will only keep these personal problems in check; you won't be able to really be yourself. One day I hope I will be able to be myself more, and I won't live in a sort of silence. Remember, silence will only deceive, so maybe if you remember that, it will help you get through life easier than you would expect.