Tell a man
there are 300 billion stars
in the universe
and he'll believe you.
Tell him
a bench has wet paint on it
and he'll have to touch
to be sure
- Source unknown

Many people need to vent their problems from time to time.

However, there are individuals with this need, who mistakenly refuse to let others know their pent-up feelings. They remain incommunicado.

A person who cannot communicate is insecure and immature. Someone who tells others not to communicate ("don't bother talking about the problem, it won't help anyhow") is worse than immature. That person is wrong, and he is misleading others.

That does not mean that you should share your problems with anybody or everybody. You do not have to be a nuisance or a blabbermouth. Any extreme is unhealthy. It does mean that there is a time and a place for communication, and that you should work towards sharing your feelings at that time.

Those who do reveal their inner thoughts assist their psychologists, counselors, or confidants in their work. Psychologists should listen carefully and take these problems seriously.

Children sometimes rebel, by refusing to communicate. Sometimes their parents maintain silence about important issues in order to preserve the peace. However, they should not give or receive the feeling that their lack of communication solves any problems. They should make the following two issues clear:

• Issues are not being resolved by the silence
• The silence does not imply that the rebellion is correct or justified