A man sits in a doorway with his kneels pulled to his chest. He is naked save for the thick leather buckles around his wrists and ankles.
These sorts of photographs, like this one from Steffi, make me introspective. I wonder, is he happy or is he sad? Perhaps he is neither, and is simply being with whatever emotions he’s experiencing. These are actually the sorts of questions I, and I’m told many others, often have when they watch others play. Most of the time, we must be content not knowing the answer.
It’s dangerous to assume that what’s happening inside of another person is what you think. It takes a certain familiarity and experience with an individual to read them well, which is why our community endlessly reminds itself about communication. But what we often forget is that communication comes in many forms, and we need to be mindful to stay receptive to as many of them as we can—even silence.