What can I do to avoid pointless discussions?
Just agree to whatever they say
That is something very few people ask. I don’t think I have asked that question to myself enough times to realize how to avoid such pointless and meaningless conversations.
I mean, we all think about getting better at speaking effectively but we hardly talk about how do we avoid something that can never be turned into good.
We get emotional about something with someone until the point where we even forget that we have been blabbering and swearing. We speak mean things and we speak things we don’t mean.
Therefore, it is necessary to know when to stop and where to draw the line.
I won’t post Google searched bullet points here because that will sound straight out bogus and inauthentic. Instead, let me tell you what I do when I have to avoid a pointless conversation:
I do not argue. I agree.
I know that might sound unethical and immoral because we have to fight for what we believe in. We must stand up for our values.
I agree (see what I did there?) :D
When your friend is harassed by some goons in the market and then you go to the police station to file a complaint, but all they want to ask is how she was molested and by how many, do you think there is any point in talking any further? They might even book YOU under those charges and put you in jail, who knows for how long.
I had to create a grim picture because I wanted you to understand the depth of the situation.
Sometimes, letting go is the only right thing to do. Sometimes walking away is better than staying. That does not mean you are a coward or you are not standing up for yourself. You are just wise enough to know when to open your mouth to when to keep it shut.
For my own satisfaction, I had to search what do Google and others say about this and you know what I found? Commercialization.
What I mean is that all the articles were talking about how to avoid small talk and have more deep and meaningful conversations. If we go by that route, we are back to square one.
When you are working on something, you just don’t look at the strengths, you asses the weaknesses as well. When you buy a smartphone you read the pros as well as the cons. Good and bad. Yin and Yang. Right and left. Up and down.
Anyway, coming to the main question, how do you avoid pointless conversations? Here is how:
- Just leave. If you are in a group, or with someone where you have the option to just leave, just fucking leave. That’s it.
- Try to behave uninterested. We cannot always just get up and leave. It is rude. But, like we have ways to show interest in a conversation, we have ways to show disinterest as well. Go down that path and pretend you are preoccupied with other things going in your life. Don’t look them in the eyes. Use your phone more frequently. Show nonverbal signs of disinterest.
I mean, at the end of the day, what matters is what matters to you.
If you do not want to give away discounts on your time, take care of it. Respect your time as well as theirs. Why you do with your time is your responsibility. No one cares and no one gives a fuck.
