A Time to Speak, and a Time to Keep Silent

Although I have been told that I talk too much, I can also listen if somebody else is talking about something interesting. Many of the times that I have been accused of dominating a conversation, it was because nobody else seemed to have anything to say. I am usually content to listen to somebody else talk if somebody else is indeed talking, but I have a hard time sitting through long periods of silence, waiting for somebody to speak up. I don't mind sitting in silence if the other person tells me that they don't want to talk right now, but it bothers me when they say they want to talk, and then they don't talk.

As I have said, another thing that bothers me is when somebody asks me a direct question and then interrupts to change the subject right in the middle of my answer. If they don't want to hear the answer, then why do they ask the question? If I ask Ken about his cat, it's not because what I really want to do is talk about my dog. If I wanted to talk about my dog, I would just talk about my dog. If I wasn't interested in Ken's cat, I wouldn't have asked Ken about his cat. Therefore, I assume that, if Ken asks me about my dog, he really wants to hear about my dog. If some people are talking about a subject that holds no interest for me, like sports, I don't try to  break into the conversation and get them to change the subject, I just mind my own business and leave them alone. Of course, everybody else is not like me, but I think that the world would be a better place if they were.

According to Wiki, the Minoan civilization on Crete was the first one of its kind in Europe. It began around 3000 BC, which would make it a contemporary of the early civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. There is evidence of contact between the Minoans and the Egyptians, so the Minoan culture was certainly influenced by the Egyptian culture, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Minoan civilization was founded by Egyptians, or vice versa. They may have both originated "in situ" and developed on parallel tracks. There are theories, but I don't think any of them have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.