Silence is awkward. Or so it seems everytime a couple of people, or even a group, cannot conjure a single sentence to say next. The mind races to think of something, but it is a dead end. An unease germinates inside the mind and doubts of disconnect plagues the thoughts. What next? Maybe check for message on my smartphone? Everyone seem about to take out theirs. Then he says something. Phew! What a relief!
Conversations seem to get harder with the day. After a point, one seem to run out of things to ask. I remember during my exchange, I was always armed with a set of questions or comments for every new person I met.
What do you study?
Where do you stay (this question was rather pointless)?
The winter's been rather very cold. Is it the same in your country?
What do you plan to do once you finish studying?
If the reply was interesting, you built upon it. You get the idea. But sooner or later one would always run out of things to ask, especially if the other person was more interested in answering than asking back. I remember one party back in Stockholm when I jumped from person to person the whole night, pretty much asking the same questions, until I retired to my room, bored to death.
But perhaps it was because it was a party, where the music and the alcohol deprived the atmosphere of a certain intimacy I prefer in my conversations (because I did fare much better under calmer circumstances). Though one thing I do admit is that holding a conversation is nowhere as easy, at least of late. Given the desk nature of most jobs, most people are becoming more comfortable to be speaking to the computer than to other humans. For kids, a lot of conversational skills in picked up at the family dinner table, and sadly even that is disappearing.
And all that are left are awkward silences.
Conversations seem to get harder with the day. After a point, one seem to run out of things to ask. I remember during my exchange, I was always armed with a set of questions or comments for every new person I met.
What do you study?
Where do you stay (this question was rather pointless)?
The winter's been rather very cold. Is it the same in your country?
What do you plan to do once you finish studying?
If the reply was interesting, you built upon it. You get the idea. But sooner or later one would always run out of things to ask, especially if the other person was more interested in answering than asking back. I remember one party back in Stockholm when I jumped from person to person the whole night, pretty much asking the same questions, until I retired to my room, bored to death.
But perhaps it was because it was a party, where the music and the alcohol deprived the atmosphere of a certain intimacy I prefer in my conversations (because I did fare much better under calmer circumstances). Though one thing I do admit is that holding a conversation is nowhere as easy, at least of late. Given the desk nature of most jobs, most people are becoming more comfortable to be speaking to the computer than to other humans. For kids, a lot of conversational skills in picked up at the family dinner table, and sadly even that is disappearing.
And all that are left are awkward silences.
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