When I was young, I was a very quiet boy.
I don't believe it was because I had nothing to say, there was lots going on in my mind (probably too much.)
But, for some reason (possibly family but maybe people in my peer group too), I had learnt to say nothing "don't speak because people will hate you!" I've always had a sharp mind, but maybe too sharp, and that winds people up. My thoughts were not rude, not foul, not disrespectful; just sharp, uncannily insightful and direct to the point. No one likes for a child/younger brother/school chum to be sharper than them.
So I learnt to be quiet. And even to this day, I realize, I have this "must be quiet otherwise people will hate you!"
Of course, it doesn't matter if people hate you, that is their problem. There's no value in making people hate you though. I have no desire to go around upsetting people. I do not seek or need the validation of others. It is not in my nature to be rude, obnoxious or antagonistic (but maybe I like to wind people up sometimes.)
I enjoy living quietly with my thoughts inside my head. And I don't care if people hate me - nothing matters.
Image: Quiet people have the loudest minds!
Everyone hates me!
And it doesn't matter!
The freedom of silence is that people do not know me to hate me... (I cannot make people hate me if they do not know me.)
Nothing matters at the end of the day!
Everything turns to dust eventually!
Don't take life seriously...
... it was always meant as a joke.
Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind and spirit. The man who preserves selfhood is ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence...
Q: "What are the fruits of silence?"
A: "They are self-control, true courage or endurance, patience, dignity and reverence. Silence is the cornerstone of character."