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Hi from Koh Mook!
This small island in the Andaman Sea has a stunning coastline with lovely sunsets, jungle hikes with helpful dogs, a unique sea cave with a hidden beach, and friendly authentic residents who haven’t yet made Phi Phi out of their home.
Locals sometimes spell Mook as Muk, coincidentally a Croatian word for silence.
In the week when we learned about a Croatian short movie “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” becoming an Oscar nominee, I was thinking a lot about the silence that has haunted me for decades.
My silence is connected to a controversial way the director of this movie started his career path. I didn’t say anything for years, just like many troubled people don’t. Not because they are waiting for a moment for the other side to become famous or rich, but because they know that public conflict only drills deeper into wounds, and rarely solves any injustice.
On my island of silence, I stay at Koh Mook Hostel, an affordable accommodation with translucent doors.
When, on the first day, I worked on the terrace in the evening, already at around 10 pm, a guy came out, saying he would turn off the terrace light, as it was too bright in the room. I said: “Fine.” Politely, of course.
A few days later, I came back to the hostel in the night, and there was a girl in the same situation as me, working on her laptop. But this time it was practically midnight.
What did the polite me do? I approached her, saying: “Can you just make sure to turn off the light when you finish, as it may bother some people in the room?”
She said: “Fine.” Politely, just like me.
But then she stayed up until 2:30 am, carelessly typing on her laptop (which has its own light, of course).
Can you see the difference between the two approaches? In the first example, someone decided they needed to sleep, and acted upon it by turning off the light, politely informing the other. In the second example, I approached someone self-centered, with too much consideration, practically trying not to hurt their feelings.
Clearly, speaking up has better outcomes than walking on eggshells in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Paradoxically, the Croatian Oscar nominee makes us reflect on gathering the courage to speak up when it matters.
Are you the person who turns off the light, or the one who rather spends sleepless hours while someone carelessly works under their very important spotlight?
Have a voiceful week!
Ivan Kralj
Pipeaway.com
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