One Question, Many Responses

 This last week, I was asked the same question twice, by two separate people. It is a question I have been asked before, and it continues to follow and frustrate me. "You don't talk much, do you?" People ask me this, as if trying to understand why someone would choose to not talk. It bothers me, not only because it feels accusatory, but because I am uncertain of how to respond. Similar to the student in the Barometer Question, I have developed multiple answers, all of which could serve as an answer, though it is not clear that any are the right answer. (Indeed, it is unclear that there IS a single right answer.)

- "You say that like it's a bad thing." All to often, when someone comments on my lack of speech, there is an underlying thought. They wonder why I don't talk more, wonder what is wrong with me that I choose to remain silent.

- "I like to think of it as one of my (many) charms." A smug response, though not entirely untrue. I set myself apart from those around by holding my peace, rather than trying to shout over those who prefer to talk and talk.

- "Well, most of the people around me have more than enough talk to go around.../Well, most of the people around me won't shut up, so what's the point?" Going along with the previous answer, it seems like I am surrounded by people who are only content when the air is filled with the sounds of their own voices. What is the point of added one more voice to the cacophony? Especially when I would prefer quietness instead.

- "What is there to say?" - The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows presents us with the word "Vemodalen", the fear that everything has already been done. Certainly, it feels as if everything I hear has already been said before. The people around me chatter endlessly, repeating themselves mindlessly, pointlessly filling the air with meaningless noise. Why bother talking, when it has likely already been said?

- *Silence, punctuated with an awkward shrug* - Why bother even using words to respond? It's been done, it's been said, and the person who asked me in the first place would never understand. The fact that they are asking such a question in the first place is proof enough of that.