"Talking"

How often should we talk?  Clearly, talking is important.  It is our primary way of communicating with each other.  We use our voices to create meaning, and to connect interpersonally.  The question, however, is not whether we should talk.  Rather, the question is how often we should talk.  Historically speaking, there have been times in human culture when silence was considered a virtue.  The man who weighed his words, and wisely thought about their response before speaking was more than respected.  He was trusted.  Temperance in speech creates a level of maturity that is appreciated by those around us.  It is sad to think that most never fully realize their potential to effectively communicate because they are too busy talking.

Advice:

Spend the entire day avoiding meaningless communication.  Quietly listen to those around you, and respond only when you have something of value to say.  If you are not sure whether what you are saying is valuable, then it is probably not valuable.  We as men spend so much of our lives trusting our instincts-which is just a fancy way of saying our impulses.  Instead, we should trust our reason-which is just a fancy way of saying our ability to think, process an idea, and then decide how to craft our responses.  Without a reason to speak, we should stay quiet.  Then, after thoughtful consideration, patience, and organized brilliance, we can create a noble response.