My quiet strength, their loud fears

People fear what they don’t understand, Anonymous. I’ve learned this the hard way. My silence is often mistaken for stupidity. They think because I choose my words carefully - speaking only when necessary - that I must lack intelligence. But the truth is quite the opposite. I see things they miss. Patterns and connections that go unnoticed by those too busy filling silences with meaningless chatter. There’s power in silence, a power many find intimidating.

When forced into conversations, people assume they can patronize me with simplistic language or dismissive attitudes. They’re taken aback when they realize how quickly I grasp complex ideas or counter their arguments with sharp logic. Their discomfort is almost palpable as they struggle to reconcile their preconceptions with reality. Some even become hostile, threatened by the fact that someone who speaks so little could think so much.

This distrust of humanity didn’t come naturally to me; it was a lesson learned through years of betrayal and pain. Those who were supposed to protect me instead used my silence against me, taking advantage of what they perceived as weakness. But now? Now it’s a shield. People reveal themselves in how they react to my reserved nature. The ones who try to exploit it only prove their own character flaws, while those who look deeper may just discover something remarkable beneath the surface.