Acknowledge, don’t engage.

A useful rule of thumb. Not every question deserves an answer.

Not every invitation to explain is made in good faith.

Some are simply traps disguised as curiosity.

Some people aren’t confused. They’re invested.

Invested in missing the point.Invested in circling the same argument until you’re tired enough to surrender.Invested in turning explanation into a tax you keep paying.

They don’t want clarity.They want leverage.They want you busy proving what they’ve already decided to dismiss.

Clarity doesn’t work on those who benefit from confusion.No amount of patience can outpace deliberate dullness.

Energy spent here isn’t noble.It’s wasteful.And worse, it teaches the wrong people that access to you is unlimited.

So, choose restraint over performance.

Acknowledge, don’t engage.

Silence, I’ve found, is not avoidance.It’s efficiency.

And occasionally, it’s mercy.