Sharp people notice what’s there. Sharper people notice what isn’t.

Absence is harder to see than presence because there is nothing there to catch your eye. The name left off the invite, the question nobody asked, the part of the story that got skipped, the friend who has not said anything in a while. All of it is information and all of it is silent by nature. Most people only ever react to what is in front of them.

Ask the missing question once this week. In any group, notice who has not spoken. In any explanation, notice what went unmentioned.