I recently came across a LinkedIn post by Iman Rahmani—a former Iranian refugee who pushed through our education system, earned a degree in German as a foreign language, and is doing incredible work today. He wrote about language being the vital first step toward genuinely arriving in a new society. I couldn't agree more. But what caught my eye was something else: the post had exactly two likes. One from me, and one from Ina.
That hit home, because Ina only met Iman through UNO.TEAM. For months, I had been cultivating a WhatsApp group—sharing thoughts, ideas, and invitations to our cooperative meetings—trying to forge a real team. Yet, in trying to bring people together, I hit a brick wall. The very people I connected now interact with each other, while giving me complete radio silence. For months: zero feedback, zero engagement, just total ghosting.
This isn't about my ego. What actually hurts is the retreat into silence. Direct, face-to-face disagreement—someone looking me in the eye and saying "Torsten, I completely disagree with you"—is honest. You can friction-test ideas, learn, and grow from that. Ghosting just leaves an empty vacuum. We shouldn't let stylistic communication differences overshadow a shared purpose.
