Hello, I am talking to you

Have you ever felt that no one is listening to you or really doesn't want to listen to anything you have to say? Well, for the last couple of weeks, I've been feeling exactly that. Apparently, I don't know what I am talking about and no one wants to hear a word I have to say. Well, I have some words worth listening to and if you don't give a f**k about me, I won't give a f**k about you.


It all started after I noticed a surprising trend among some of my friends and acquaintances. No one really cared about what I had to say. Really, no one cared. Everyone else had all these wonderful stories about how awesome or bad their lives were and what was going on in their universe. I listened, commiserated, sympathized, and truly felt everything they had to say. During pauses in the conversation, I tried to add my own experiences and stories, only to have them fall on deaf ears, blank stares, and worse, continual conversation as if I had said nothing.


Is there something wrong with me? Am I that boring, dull, and uninteresting? Did I say something about my life that offended the people that I am speaking to? I don't want sympathy or outright bursts of joy or gladness, but I would like some acknowledgement that I actually spoke. I personally don't care about strangers not caring about what I am saying, but when friends, acquaintances, and people I have known for a significant amount of time start not listening to what I have to say, that is when I start to have a problem.

For those of you that do not know me, my friends would describe me as caring, emotionally comforting, resourceful, and giving. I can also tell you that some of those same people, I have come to realize, do not know a single thing about who I am, what I do, what I am feeling, or most recently, what I have to say. I consider myself a caring, good-natured person. I CARE about people and I am fiercely loyal to my band of brothers and sisters. I also would hope that the same band would say the same about me.

I understand that everyone has sh*t going on in their lives and maybe want to rant and not listen to anyone else. I recognize that and hell, I do it myself.. . such as right now. However, when it becomes a trend EVERY TIME you talk to the same group of people that you consider friends,, then what real point is there to being "friends"? I mean, why, have conversations with these people if they really truly do not care about you or what you have to say? I don't want to get all existential and think about the human plight of selfishness and the expansion into communal relationships, but it really feels that things are taking a shift. Maybe what I really need to do is find new people to add to my world.

So, I've decided to stop sharing, just for a little while and I've decided to start hanging out with different people. I will continue to listen, commiserate, sympathize, and truly feel what they have to say. I just won't participate in the "conversations" that are one-sided or sound like the other person just wants to hear themselves talk. I lie. I will participate with witty banter and put-downs, but I will keep those to a minimum. After all, when the world stops listening to what you have to say, I say, start making jokes.

SOURCE: Zazzle