What Happens Around People Who Don't Communicate- 2/02/2026

 Summary

People often assume that the person they can't communicate with lacks explanation or sincerity. This paper explores where this naive, well-intentioned belief deviates from reality. Using metaphors from the quiet everyday, it traces the asymmetrical phenomena unfolding behind the scenes of dialogue, ultimately revealing why some people choose to remain silent.

Keywords

Dialogue, Silence, Misunderstanding, Time, Judgment, Schopenhauer

The Broken Clock Shop

In an old shopping district in front of a station, there's a small shop stocked with clocks. Each one looks impressive, but some of them have stopped moving. The owner calmly says, "If you look carefully, they'll tell the right time someday." Passersby nod, stare for a moment, and then leave. No one gets angry at a stopped clock. Everyone understands that it's just the way it is.

However, when it comes to human conversation, things change. When encountering someone with whom they can't communicate, many people don't question the clock. What I doubt is how I explained things. Perhaps I should explain it more clearly, perhaps if I persisted a little more, things would start moving. So, in front of the stopped hands, I repeatedly check the time.

The Habit of Politeness

In everyday life, "being polite" is almost unconditionally considered a good thing. Consider the other person's position, choose your words carefully, and avoid conflict. This often keeps the atmosphere calm. This habit carries over even when communication isn't going smoothly. By assuming that "if I don't understand, it's because that person has their own reasons," friction is reduced.

However, this politeness hides a hidden assumption: that somewhere, the other person is preparing to receive what I'm saying. It's like the expectation that even if the hands of a clock are stopped, the gears are still meshing internally. As long as this expectation exists, people continue to reach out. They explain, rephrase, and use more analogies.

All the while, something is quietly lost. It's not anger or disappointment. It's simply time spent circling around in the same place.

The Calculation of the Silent One

At some point, a customer who had been a regular at the same store stops coming. The reason is simple. It's not because they realized the clock wasn't moving. It's because they realized that standing in front of a clock that didn't work would never give them anything back.

The same thing happens in conversation. The moment they realize that the other person isn't ignoring their words, but simply rearranging them without replacing them, some people fall silent. There's no yelling. No preaching. They simply back off.

The power to communicate = The change in response ÷ Repeated strikeouts

This ratio is unspoken, but it's quietly at work within someone. If the response doesn't change, the denominator just keeps increasing. When someone notices this increase, they leave the room. To those around them, it may seem cold, but to them, it's simply a matter of clarifying the facts.

The time shown by the stopped hands

Strangely enough, a stopped clock is correct twice a day. That's why the shopkeeper's words aren't completely wrong. Even in conversation, there are moments when things click by chance. Those moments hold people together, making them feel like, "I got through to him this time."

But once you step outside the store, the city's clocks keep moving. There, people can tell the time without stopping. The silent person chooses to go with the flow. They don't blame what's not moving, they don't try to fix it, they just go somewhere else.

All that remains here is one quiet fact: what's happening next to someone who can't be communicated with is not a lack of understanding. The choice of whether to continue standing in front of a clock whose hands don't move is already divided.