Part of the cultural adjustment that grips any newcomer to this society, is coping with how direct people are in their communication. Perfect strangers have no problem asking you directly how much you earn, how much you paid for your camera or whether you love your partner..! It's more complicated than that.
If you are not direct - due to one's own cultural inhibitions, politeness or simply because you'd never dream of asking - you run the risk of being perceived as weak, insecure or disinterested.
As a kid I had one rule: "It is better to remain silent and appear ignorant, that to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
5 comments:
Your personal quote sounded like something my mother would have said to me. Nice photograph. Great narrative.
Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo
Your personal quote sounded like something my mother would have said to me. Nice photograph. Great narrative.
Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo
You beat me to it! I've often seen these signs and wanted to take a photo. But I wouldn't have had such a good write up. When I read that sign I always feel that "Death" (the one carrying the sythe) is lurking around!! :-)
You forgot to add one problem, that when you do become more direct you get shouted at by your family and friends back home for being obnoxious, agressive and really rude! :-)
That quote sounds very Churchillian - he had the gift of the gab, no doubt, and was usually spot on. I was always very taken aback by Israeli directness but I have to say its quite a refreshing national trait
!
Good post. The others said it all.
Post a Comment