Behold, The Talking People
Behold, The Talking People
Star Wars, Cable News and a Roman Senator on choosing silence
How many social media posts have you made this week? Think about it for a few seconds. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or even Reddit. What were you hoping to communicate to the world in those posts? Were there other posts you drafted and then deleted after coming to your senses about the perils of hitting Post?
I can think of a few deleted Tweets from the past week, and quite a few more that stayed up even though I felt immediate regret.
Why did I need to say that?
Why do these 10 Likes and 3 Comments motivate me like a demonic possession to proclaim every half-baked thought or observation I have about the world?
It doesn’t have to be this way.
In a little over a week, I’m going to see Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace in theaters! It’s being given a theatrical re-release for May 4th. I can’t wait. We talk a lot about Episode I on Geeky Stoics, primarily because….Qui-Gon Jinn.
As a Jedi, he is a man of few words. He speaks plenty throughout the film, but unlike the younger Obi-Wan Kenobi or the foolish Jar Jar Binks, he just comes across as highly intentional about every word. His words cut like a knife. When Qui-Gon speaks, you get the sense it must be important.
“The ability to speak does not make you intelligent”
When the Jedi first meet Jar Jar Binks in the swamps of Naboo, Jar Jar is basically standing in the way of traffic, about to get run over by incoming military vehicles. Qui-Gon and Jar Jar collide and the Jedi pins the blathering Gungan to the ground until the danger has passed.
Qui-Gon is not pleased. “What are you, brainless?” he asks, rather harshly.
Jar Jar answers, “I speak”, as if this answers the Jedi’s question.
“The ability to speak does not make you intelligent-” Qui-Gon says.
Indeed. It’s fitting then that later in the movie, Jar Jar gets his tongue grabbed by Qui-Gon Jinn at the dinner table.
Every day we should ask ourselves if what we’re saying to others is truly worth saying. Are we speaking in order to add value for the recipient, or are we speaking to assuage the voice of ego deep inside that is convinced our every word is wise and interesting?
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” - James 1:19
I remember an old boss of mine got angry with the staff at a morning meeting because the brainstorming sessions were too quiet. No one was speaking up. He reminded us all that we’re paid to speak up and share our thoughts. So people started speaking. The problem, of course, is that the most obtuse individuals were doing almost all of the talking. The egomaniacs and brown nosers knew the incentive structure was to make sounds with their faces, even if it was corporate drivel and buzzword salad.
This balancing act is delicate. You need to reject fear and speak up at meetings, but you don’t want to slip into speaking for its own sake.
The ability to speak does not make you intelligent. Say this to yourself every now and then. Maybe it’ll help you discern which words on the tip of your tongue are worth pushing out.
The Talking People
The need for me to do this in my own life is pretty pressing. I do TV news from time to time, to talk about politics and current events. And if I had a dollar for every time I spoke for longer than was necessary or said something regrettable…..well, you know, I’d have a lot of dollars.
But the incentive structure on TV news is to speak and speak often. They don’t book wallflowers for political segments. So you come up with something to say, even if it doesn’t need saying. It’s rather toxic. After doing lots of TV for about 5 years, I found myself being more loose with what I’d say in casual conversation with friends and family.
The TV people want me to speak, why doesn’t everyone else?
When my daughter was little, she called TV news “the talking people”. If was going on TV, she’d say “Have fun with the talking people, Daddddddy.”
I did have fun with them. Always have. But there’s a cost…..which is, lots of things spoken on the record I might later wish were not. You don’t even get paid to be a guest on the news. So even in raw financial terms, it’s often not worth it.
But I do it, still, it’s part of my job. My only aim now is to try and be better, more precise, and more like Qui-Gon. I want to have a tongue that, when deployed for political discourse, actually cuts. It’s a work in progress.
Our political system elevates talkers. Have you noticed?
Perhaps, we could try and remember politicians like Cato the Younger, who in the late Roman Republic had developed a reputation for both fiery speech and deadly silence. When he spoke, people listened. When he was quiet, people wanted to know why.
“Cato practiced the kind of public speech capable of moving the masses, believing proper political philosophy takes care like any great city to maintain the warlike element. But he was never seen practicing in front of others, and no one ever heard him rehearse a speech. When he was told that people blamed him for his silence, he replied, ‘Better they not blame my life. I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid.’”
—Plutarch on Cato the Younger
Have a great week my friends. Remember, the ability to speak does not make you intelligent. Consider deleting that Tweet, or saving that post as a Draft and walking away for a few hours. You might be surprised at how much people listen when you’re known to be careful with your tongue.