Being boring
The other night, I found myself listening to someone talk about so-and-so, who has a problem with so-and-so, and an unbearable boredom set in.
Judgements entered my mind. That person was being self-centered and smug, I thought, and I wasn't learning anything. Deciding to sit back and not contribute to the conversation, I began to feel resentment grow inside me like rot spreading in a bruised apple. It became impossible to follow what the person was saying.
According to a Psychology Today article, boring people complain a lot, repeat the same stories and jokes over and over again, don't make eye contact and lack enthusiasm, drag conversations on without coming to a point, have little to say, are self-preoccupied and talk about themselves too much; they try to impress people with humor or by being too nice, and they get easily distracted and engage in small talk.
The article went on to say: "Boring people also contribute less to the conversation overall than interesting people do."
That's when I realized; perhaps, it was my decision to not contribute to the conversation that led to my resentment, to my inability to listen, and to my being boring.