Say WHAT? Why Do We Talk Like That?
I worry, sometimes. Really, I do. I probably should not, but I cannot help it. I am not anxious, in the true sense of the word, but I do have my share of concerns. May I share what is bothering me?
It is not the election, or the economy, or the wars, hunger, and disease around the world. It is not that I am questioning some wild harebrained scheme. One word really sums it up well: Communication.
Lack of it, perhaps, more than anything else. Maybe people no longer relate the way to each other in a caring way. We know how to talk well enough. We can get our points across in a variety of ways these days. How we do that, however, is what has me so concerned.
Not to nit-pick or complain, but we abuse language and vocabulary. No need to lecture about how we have obliterated grammar and spelling conventions. Forget about reading a ranting rave wishing people would care about being clear.
I would be happy for civil conversations that are peaceful in expression, content, and intent–where we do not have to second-guess the other person’s intentions, wonder what they really mean when they say what they do, and certainly not encounter any animosity while doing all that.
By peaceful, I do not mean some dispassionate, unmoving conversation where it feels as though time is has taken a vacation, or where the person is exhibiting signs of animated zombie-hood. There are some great speakers who can get their point across without a lot of vitriol or malice, and leave us feeling better for having had the pleasure of listening to their voice.
Alan Watts, HH the Dalai Lama, Carl Sagan, Terence McKenna, Gregg Braden, and Vandana Shiva all have the kind of manner that promotes listening, encourages involvement, and are just very interesting people.
Writers, too, have their share of winners, as far as I am concerned. There are so many great writers, professional and amateur alike, that I feel Thoth is smiling from whatever hereafter he may be in at the moment. Many of us are involved with the written word as never before.
Perhaps we can pin down where the disconnection with communication might be? If there are so many of us texting and sending emails these days, that aspect of conveying ideas seems as though it is being handled well.
What is noticeable is the way communication, in the form of self-expression, has taken a back seat to technology these days. Not very long ago, expression was a very tangible thing. It still is an active process, and the expectation has been amped up a notch–maybe quite a bit.
Electronic facilitation encourages a greater level of activity when it comes to drawing communication out from our deepest recesses. In short, we have a whole lot of nothing. In this era of point and click, or touch and slide, we have the easy ability to make communication happen right at our fingertips.
A missing piece can occur when we do not have a printer or some other means of drawing those thoughts and ideas out of the electronic netherworld and into existence. We run the risk of stifling our creative communication. Think of the volumes of material that can be lost when a computer is corrupted or a website goes black. I have felt this frustration on a few occasions, and it is not always rectified by getting more ink for the printer. It can be a major loss.
Another result of the increased ability to communicate is that we do so without as much editing involved. Why is editing so important? Well, because like any means of energy it is best to have a balance of what is exchanged. It does not have to prohibit expression, necessarily. We do, at a minimum, need to be kind with what we have to say.
I am someone who enjoys writing in a balanced way. It is worrisome that as we say the things we do, that we do it with mindfulness and civility. We can respect that not everyone may appreciate what we have to say–even this literary excursion.
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