When the words become few

One thing to bring up the conversation with your friends is to find something in common. However, if someday this common issue has finally disappearred, are there still anything left for conversation that is able to go beyond the surface?

There is nothing to talk. Sometimes it is because you don't know that person, but sometimes it is because you know that person too well, that your question has became redundant; sometimes it is because you have lost interest or don't have the strength to reach out that person, but sometimes it is because you are too interest with that person that you don't know where to start and what to talk.

Your mouth keep shut, sometimes it is because people keep on interrogating you, sometimes it is because keep on bombing you with their words.

An awkward moment is when people are silence during the meal. Yet this situation normally happen when people are inviting someone to their house for meal, instead of having the meal outside in a resturant. It is understandable. If you are the host, you have to concern about cooking, washing dishes, or other petty issue, so that you cannot concentrate on conversation with others. Besides. If you don't want to talk to the others, you can choose to leave the table or to move arounds using many different excuse. However, if you are in a resturant, you are free of domestic duties, and thus able to concentrate on enjoying the meal as well as conversation in a more relax way. Besides, there are no excuse for you to keep moving around or leave the table. So many times I prefer to have coffee or meal outsides with my friends.

When you study economics, there are two approach in handling the economy. State-planning is where the government will plan the appropriate economic policy that they think the best in the society. Free-market approach is to let people to made their decision without state-intervention, in a belief that private decision are the most efficient one as people will make the best decision out of the constraint they face. The former approach is from top to down, or the latter from down to top. This also apply to the political system, such as choosing the head of government. Democracy is from down to top, whereas appointed successor is from top to down.

The above seems a digression. Yet the underlying philosophy when there is an informal chat in a group. Should the conversation be from down to top, i.e.,that people should chat with others in a spontaneous ways without any prior agenda. Or should the conversation befrom top to down, that the conversation should be within a certain format and guide towards a certain direction. If you are out spoken, talkative and extrovert, the former approach will suit you better. If you are introvert, then perhaps the latter from is better for you.

Sometimes we keep silence, perhaps is because there is nothing that's worth talking. What you are going to talk, someone has already spoken it before. There is nothing new under the sun.

Sometimes we keep silence, perhaps is because there is nothing that you no longer have any passion, conviction and commitment towards something. There is nothing to preach, so it is better to be in the cave.