Why We Must Practice the Art of Good Conversation
tricycle.org
tricycle.org
The answers to reducing the isolationist, us Vs them mentality we see around us, don't lie in being a good conversationalist. All you have to do is find a good conversationalist and see what impact he or she is having on the people around them today. The world has changed. New answers need to be found.
It was through his journey that he discovered true Enlightenment. And after he attained enlightenment, he started to teach and share his wisdom with people. He listened to people's sufferings and guided them with open heart. He even listened to those who questioned him and his teachings. There are a few stories out there. I will find them and share the links.
-- Edit --
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Was-Buddha-a-Real-Person-Un...
He left at age 29 and didn't find enlightenment until he was 35. Afterward, he spent 45 years teaching.
He went back home twice for his family and he taught them his teachings.
He did seem to nod silently a lot, but I'm not so sure if he was against conversation per se. Rather, he wasn't big on conversation that served no good purpose.
> "There are these ten topics of [proper] conversation. Which ten? Talk on modesty, on contentment, on seclusion, on non-entanglement, on arousing persistence, on virtue, on concentration, on discernment, on release, and on the knowledge & vision of release. These are the ten topics of conversation. If you were to engage repeatedly in these ten topics of conversation, you would outshine even the sun & moon, so mighty, so powerful — to say nothing of the wanderers of other sects." - AN 10.69