We often continue living with unexpressed emotions, justifying to ourselves that it is okay, and we believe we have the capacity to live with them. It is partly true that as we grow internally, some things that bothered us stop becoming an issue as we may have risen above them. However, some fundamental issues remain that we are reluctant to surface. Over time these become a major issue and often catch us unaware, straining our relationships and well-being. Not everything in life can be suppressed and absorbed, some conversations need to be had.

Even as we care for them, there are things about people close to us that bother us. It starts as small things, but over time, we see a pattern being driven by underlying values and beliefs. Sometimes, it could well be a case of not realising something that may not be important to them, but to us. Living with that feeling of quiet frustration is not an option, we need to have that conversation.

Differences and disputes often come in our life which we need to deal with. We often find everyone feeling justified in their point of view, and positions get hardened to a point where the space for conversation turns into a battlefield of conflict and often breakdown. Living with a stalemate is not an option, we need to have that conversation.

It is easy to be non-interfering, which at some level we need to be and accept the choices others make. However, when we see someone we care for going down a path that is undesirable, we cannot just be silent bystanders. Being indifferent is not being caring. Sometimes we need to move beyond just minding our own business and have that conversation.

There are choices we need to make and often move in a direction, the path to which may not be very clear. Even as we make the final decision, when we are open to the suggestions and advice of others, we benefit greatly. To get a perspective on our way forward, we need to have that conversation.

Conversations can build or break us. We are fooling ourselves if we feel we can push some conversations under the carpet. And when we overcome our fear, we find that these conversations make us stronger, lighten our inner burden and often clarify things that we may ourselves have misunderstood.

Life is not about displaying a happy calm exterior while living with a silent inner storm. And when we reflect on what it takes to gain that inner peace and smoothen our relationships, we will realise a simple, and yet sometimes difficult fact of life – some conversations need to be had.

(Picture-Sea planes at Coal Harbour, Vancouver)