Sometimes we swallow up words to keep peace, sometimes it could be fear or our pride that hinders us from speaking out. We bottle them deep in our hearts and believe they'll die off naturally with time. Unfortunately, some don't. Sometimes they echo down the line and haunt a beautiful relationship or destroy a connection that has lasted for years.
I heard of a father who was so hard on his son. He never acknowledged or appreciated him for whatever he did, afraid that his son might grow up to be a mediocre who is satisfied with little. According to his style of training, he was raising his child to aim for the best, yet never told him how proud he was no matter the effort he put in to make his father proud. Deep down his dad was proud of him but never mentioned it, and on the other hand was the son who sacrificed every one of his dreams to make his father proud.
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Even in the son's excellence, he spoke ill of him. The boy grew up with the childhood programming that he was never enough. He held pain, resentment, anger, and bitterness as he grew older. This bitterness targeted the very man who never made him feel the joy of fatherhood. Pride suddenly took over his dad, unable to say those words he had held back for years. Eventually, they became like cats and dogs, living like two strangers.
This is not about just words of encouragement, but about regret, forgiveness, vulnerability, and the complexity of human communication. We hold back conversations that could free either you or the other party, but because of pride or an attempt to maintain peace, when in truth, that conversation could have been the healing factor or one that clears misconceptions. Every conversation never had becomes a burden one carries around until it becomes too heavy to bear, crumbling everything once built.
