The Weight of Unheard Pain....

 

Dear Readers,

In life I have learned it the hard way, I have seen people suffer and some don’t but eventually, I see the pain and chaos in every one of us, every day in my life, and I feel sad for this pain everyone goes through. But I learned one thing, and that is “THAT PEOPLE JUST DON’T CARE….”

So I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the floor. My hands trembled slightly as I lit another cigarette, watching the smoke curl toward the ceiling. The weight in my chest felt unbearable, yet I had long since stopped expecting anyone to notice. People only cared when it was too late.

I remembered the conversation all too well.

"You should have told us. We would have understood, "Matt had said, his voice laced with concern that came too late.

I had laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "What’s the point? People only say that afterward. When it matters, they tell you straight to your face: 'We don’t care what you’re going through.' And I believed them."

Matt had fallen silent, his gaze shifting uncomfortably. It wasn’t the first time I had been met with silence in place of understanding.

The memories came flooding back. The times I had reached out, only to be met with indifference. The moments when my pain was waved away like an inconvenience. The times when I had dared to share, only to be told my struggles didn’t matter.

I inhaled deeply, the cigarette burning down between my fingers. I had learned that silence was safer. Those words held no weight when spoken to those who had already decided not to listen.

And yet, here Matt was, standing in front of me, trying to rewrite the past with words that carried no meaning.

"Jacob, I... I didn't mean it like that. We just "

I cut him off with a sad smile. "You meant it exactly like that. And that’s okay. I’ve stopped expecting anything else."

He opened his mouth to respond but thought better of it. I saw it in his eyes the guilt, the regret but neither of those things could change what had already been done. Or undone.

I put out the cigarette and stood up. "Take care, Matt."

As I walked away, I felt lighter not because the pain had lessened, but because I no longer had the energy to explain it to people who had already dismissed it.

Some silences, I realized, were meant to remain unbroken.

Reflection:

This story highlights the painful reality of feeling unheard and dismissed. My experience is one many can relate to reaching out for understanding, only to be met with indifference or hollow reassurances after the damage has been done. My decision to embrace silence is not one of defeat but of self-preservation.

Often, people only acknowledge pain when it’s convenient or when it’s too late to make a difference. The regret in Matt’s eyes reflects the guilt of those who choose to listen only when silence has already settled in. This story serves as a reminder that true understanding comes from presence at the moment, not just words spoken in hindsight.

In the end, I walk away not because I have healed, but because I no longer feel the need to justify my suffering to those who never truly cared. Sometimes, peace comes not from being heard, but from letting go of the need to be.

Jacob M