By Dr. Adnan Bouzan 

There is a hidden life pulsating within us, unseen by anyone but ourselves—a life parallel to the one others believe we are living, yet entirely different. It is deeper, more intense, and far louder in its silence. Behind every silence lies a suppressed story, and behind every gaze, a secret its owner chooses not to reveal. Silence is not merely the absence of words; it is a firm grip on the heart before the tongue, a containment of emotions that are never meant to escape.

We are not what we appear to be, but rather what we conceal. We are not what we say, but what we suppress and keep locked within. Within each of us lie cities of memories, islands of longing, and deep corridors stretching into our souls, inaccessible to anyone else. We speak in calm voices, yet within us rages a storm of postponed dreams, accumulated disappointments, and emotions that have never seen the light.

Silence is a world unto itself; it does not signify emptiness or void, but rather the most eloquent of languages when words fail to express. It is a story that has found no listener, a sorrow whose bearer has realized that speaking of it will not lessen its weight, but might instead make it heavier. How many pains, if spoken aloud, would only magnify? How many words, if uttered, would lose their meaning? Thus, we choose silence—not out of weakness, but out of wisdom and a desire to preserve the dignity of our emotions.

We are like isolated islands, appearing similar on the surface of life—we laugh, we talk, we play our roles as expected. But deep within, each of us harbors a world unknown to others. There are waves of turmoil inside, secrets suspended between the heart and memory, moments of the past still alive within us, and a longing for days we no longer possess. We suppress all of this because we understand that the world cannot bear the weight of the chaos we carry in our chests. So, we wear the mask of silence—not out of fear, but because we know there are emotions that cannot be spoken, and some sorrows that, when voiced, only grow more painful.

Not every silent person is content, nor is every speaker truthful. Some talk excessively to hide their emptiness, while others take refuge in silence because they know words will not change a thing. Sometimes, we choose silence because it feels safer, because it better preserves what remains of our courage and pride. Silence is not a weakness; it is a shield that protects our souls from breaking. It is the language that never betrays us when words fail.

We remain silent, but deep inside, we speak. We converse with ourselves, rearrange our memories, console our spirits, and write in our silence stories that will never be read—but will always be felt. We move through life as if we carry nothing, yet in truth, we hold within our hearts an entire world, filled with everything unsaid and everything that can never be spoken.

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