Some people are so emotionally dead that they cannot carry on a conversation with others. In order for a person’s emotions to stay alive they must be honest with others and connect with other people emotionally.
The first basis for forming a relationship with another person is to put aside polite conversation and really concentrate on the person you are talking to. Some people have a remarkable sensitivity to others and at the dinner table they discover in themselves an extraordinary ability to exchange thoughts and ideas.
Their secret is in the way they choose topics that move the other person, engage their emotions and get them more in touch with their personality. In the end, they are able to connect with the real person in front of them.
An unusual thing a person could say to another once they have got to know each other is: “In you I have discovered myself,” meaning that through honest conversation with others we discover things about ourselves. This is because we speak more honestly with other people than when we are alone, and during that conversation we confront realities that we dare not face when we are alone.
Strangely enough, some people resolutely bottle up thoughts that get them down until they reveal their inner self to others, and it is then that they discover that their inner selves are inconsistent with the way others see them.
It is not essential once a relationship is established that they constantly talk about everything. Sometimes in times of trouble it is better to stop talking, sit back and listen to music. This mellows the mood and makes the conversation dotted between the minutes of silence warmer, with each party being more considerate of the other’s feelings.
Some people can establish emotional relationships with others who are separated from them by oceans merely by talking on the phone or chatting on the Internet. These modern methods of communication can alleviate the acute loneliness that people may feel in the world that we live in today, providing them with warmth and friendship. So start up a conversation. You will understand yourself better and end your isolation.
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A hunger strike is usually a protest aimed at achieving a certain objective. There is a different kind of strike, and those who carry it out usually suffer from emotional or psychological disorders.
There are many cases of people who go on hunger strike and stop talking for no reason, and these people suffer some kind of psychological disorder, especially if that strike goes on for a long time and if it happens a number of times for no obvious reason. Such strikes are usually accompanied by sleep disturbances and some deviant behavior. This type of psychological disorder occurs as a result of some event such as failure in an exam — in that case, the mentally ill person will try to win the family’s sympathy and deflect attention from the original reason that led to the disorder.
If a person feels that he is not in harmony with or not adapting to society, a kind of social emptiness can overwhelm him and they become unable to talk or connect with others, their appetite for food and life fades and they may end up locking themselves in their house and never leave, except perhaps to travel to a place where no one knows them.
— Arab News Features 26 September 2003
