Silent people

I have already admit it - I have a problem with people who never say anything. Quiet people makes me ...nervous and/or bored and/or irritated. Why?!?

Maybe because they master a skill that I have never been close to excelling at i.e. to shut my mouth. I know I need to be better at listening and I am no dummie so I do get that in order to listen more I need to zip it. So far no luck in that area. Need I lose my teeth to shut up? Hopefully not...

What I do find...and this I am ashamed of...is that I can listen to people I think are intelligent and who can teach me something. Or just have interesting thoughts and a beautiful way of using the language. And a nice voice. If I think that people are wrong, stupid, have a hard time expressing themselves or speaks with an irritating voice I stop listening or even worse...I interrupt. Sighs! :(

At times of conflict I really cannot take people who are quiet. The reason for this I think has to do with my background. I was raised in a family where us kids knew something was wrong between mom and dad not when we heard a heated argument but when we could cut the tension in the house with a knife. They never screamed at eachother and some may say that it is a good thing...I beg to differ. When kids are exposed to tension and never understand the source of it as it is unspoken they have a tendency to blame themselves. I did. My sister did. And my brother did. We have never talked about it. I just know it. So, any man who get close enough to me knows that I dont handle silence well. I can get very aggressive verbally and almost pick a fight even if there is nothing to fight about really. Silence and a "leave me alone" can turn me into a complete bitch. ( Thank God this is not a dating site!)

And about listening...are all quiet people good listeners? I don't think so. Some people close down, no output and no input. I pity them.