About Unwritten

Somewhere along the way, “having an opinion on everything” got confused with “voicing an opinion on everything.” I don’t think they’re the same thing.

You’re allowed to form a view and keep it to yourself. You’re allowed to read a room and decide this isn’t the moment. Not every thought needs an audience. Not every audience deserves your unfiltered take.

I’ve heard it more than once in Europe: you’re too polite/ politically correct/ you’re so Singaporean

Bluntness isn’t honesty. It’s just bluntness. You can get a point across without bulldozing the person standing in front of you. Choosing your words isn’t softness, it’s control. It means I’ve thought about the message and the delivery, instead of just saying whatever surfaced first.

Saying something clearly and saying something carelessly aren’t the same skill. The people who say everything that crosses their mind aren’t braver. They’re just less filtered. I don’t think there’s virtue in volume.

So I’m keeping my politeness. Not because I’m avoiding conflict, but because I’m choosing where it matters. To me, that’s not a flaw to be corrected. It’s just how I’ve decided to move through a room.