Thank you for this thoughtful piece. It's so interesting. I'm often glad I can sit in silence with my spouse and certain family and friends--no need to entertain them. But also, silence has been used against me in the form of a "cold shoulder." So silence is both good and bad to me, depending on the context. But mostly, I appreciate it. Our world is very chatter-y with all the texts whistling and phones and emails pinging and ringing. Some down time is welcome--time to just be, and not respond to others' urgent needs.