Fragments of the Quiet Mind

  "It is not what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." – Molière In the cutthroat world of work, accountability can become a weapon, but not everyone wields it against the vulnerable. There will always be that specific kind of person— a few, yet more than enough — who turn on you when the stakes rise.  They don’t announce their intentions; instead, they shift imperceptibly. Their tone becomes measured, their gaze evasive, and their silence during critical moments deafening. These are not strangers, but colleagues you trusted, people who once shared the weight of the work alongside you. It’s not always an immediate betrayal. It begins with small omissions, selective truths, and decisions framed as “what’s best for everyone.” What they really mean, of course, is what’s best for themselves. One moment, you're exchanging solidarity; the next, you're the sacrificial lamb. It’s devastating not just because it feels personal—it’s devastating beca...

Wishing to be alone at times so as to understand the self does not necessarily mean that we are shutting ourselves off from people. Sometimes, it’s just that we don’t want others to be sucked in our depression or perhaps sometimes, we just owe time to ourselves and to provide us an opportunity to understand a small part of our personalities. We move away from people for their and our sake. In doing so, not many would understand it. Some would even think of us as pompous bastards which usually result to haters. Indeed, some people hate what they don’t understand. Even though I want to say that we are not responsible for what people think of us (or what people say about us), the truth of the matter is that; it’s still painful to hear words and exaggerated stories people make to pull others down.  Life is like this. No matter how you struggle to move forward, there will always be people who would prove you otherwise. It doesn’t only happen in schools or in work, but it happens in alm...

The desire to be alone at times in order to understand oneself does not necessarily mean that one is shutting oneself off from others. Sometimes, it is simply because one does not want others to be affected by their own depression, or because they need time to understand a certain aspect of their personality. Moving away from others is done for both our and their sake. Unfortunately, not many people would understand this, and some may even view it as pompousness, leading to negative comments and hate. Although we are not responsible for what others think of us, it can still be painful to hear the negative words and stories that people use to bring others down. Life is like this. No matter how you struggle to move forward, there will always be people who would prove you otherwise. It doesn’t only happen in schools or in work, but it happens in almost every conceivable place and time. As critics, these people would wait for you to do something wrong or say something stupid – which is the...