However, when the meeting took place, I was surprised to see another version. He was quiet, his eyes always seemed to find a safe corner, his voice was small and sometimes lost to the crowd. While everyone was excited about chatting, he just smiled awkwardly, added a few short statements and quickly took a back spot.
People easily think of him as a two-faced man - an online actress and a strange man in real life. But the truth is not like that. He is just a typical example of the type of person whose strengths are promoted in the digital environment: Having time to choose words, edit sentences, avoid looking around, escape from interrupted worries. There, he freely shined. But in real life, everything comes as a rush, there are no splashes, no filters to beautify emotions.
He once told me: Online, I feel like I have wings. In real life, sometimes I feel as heavy as walking on the mud. It is not a fake, but an introverted psychological state: Fatigue from having to communicate for a long time, needing a break to recover, and confusion from direct reactions.
I remember Paul Graham's words: "The Internet is the place where for the first time many people have a voice". But having a voice does not mean that they are ready to stand in the crowd. My friend, like many others, is just shining in a more suitable space.
Perhaps, instead of forcing them to speak more, communicate more, what this world needs is safe environments, where they do not have to struggle to be listened to.
My friend doesn't always need to shine. The important thing is where and why you shine. And sometimes, it is his silence in real life that makes others feel another power - the power of being without color and sincerity without ceremony.
