| We must be silent before we can listen We must listen before we can learn We must learn before we can prepare We must prepare before we can serve We must serve before we can lead. - We Must, - William Arthur Ward |
I swore never to be silent whenever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented - Elie Wiesel |
There can be no stronger response to any difficulty, problem, or eventuality than silence. Nobody can help those who suffer in silence, and nobody can attack those who remain silent about the strongest pain or issue. Those who are victimized and remain silent do not necessarily maintain an upper hand over the victimizer. After all, they are suffering. However, it is their best response. It gives the victimizer less pleasure in his evil acts.
Psychologists realize the benefits of using silence to deal with people. They sit silently and passively, and they do not respond to difficult clients. In certain cases, this helps the client reveal more than a constant stream of talk.
The discomfort caused be silence forces the client to react. They may reveal information, or they may get angry. Their manner of reacting to silence is important to a psychologist or to someone who is trying to understand another person. This reaction may help direct the continuation of the therapy or the treatment.
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