There's a certain type of son who loves his father deeply but cannot sit in a room alone with him for more than twenty minutes - not because there's anything wrong, but because neither of them was ever taught what men say to each other when nothing needs fixing - Silicon Canals

"The silence isn't hostile. It isn't even uncomfortable, exactly. It is more like the moment in a card game when both players have played all their cards and are sitting there with empty hands, looking at each other, unsure of what the rules say comes next."

"Inside those twenty minutes, we can have a perfectly nice conversation about football, the weather, the route I took from the airport, how the dogs are doing, and what I think of his neighbor's new fence."

Conversations with my father typically last around twenty minutes, after which silence fills the space. This pattern is not due to conflict or lack of love but rather a structural limitation in communication. During the initial twenty minutes, topics like football and the weather can be discussed. However, once those topics are exhausted, an awkward silence follows, leading to one of us leaving the room or changing the activity. This dynamic reflects a deeper communication barrier that exists between us.

Read at Silicon Canals