Have you ever met someone who is eager to speak up and push forward his unsolicited opinion in every single issue of the world? I have met a few, the worst of them being Kabir (name changed, ofcourse!).

Kabir has an opinion on every topic, issue, or matter that comes up. From cricket to F1, psychology to geopolitics, and from gardening to paragliding, he knows it all. If he’s in a group, he won’t let anyone speak. Even if they do, he will interrupt and overpower them to put forward his point. And his point does not have to be correct, it just needs to be loud enough to silence everyone into accepting it. Kabir often synthesizes his opinions in the middle of conversations, only to blurt them out as “expert” opinions. And Kabir is not one, he has his doppelgangers everywhere.

But, what these Kabirs do not know is that you don’t need to opinionate about every thing. You’re not being tested every time a topic comes up. You don’t need to have a take to sound informed. There is no need to contribute something, especially if it’s hollow. You think silence might make you look like a fool, but empty words depict you as an idiot. Your opinion is not always necessary everywhere.

It’s absolutely okay to not have an opinion sometimes. It’s okay to stay silent and listen to others. And if someone asks you for an opinion about something you do not know, it’s perfectly fine to say “I do not have sufficient knowledge to have an opinion on that or to make a comment.” It’s that simple. You were not born to prove you know everything. Sometimes, it’s just better to say “I don’t know” and learn, or move on. Silence often protects one’s dignity more than a baseless opinion ever does.