I have seen what a lack of communication does. Not just in relationships but certainly in businesses and of course, even here on Hive, our beloved blockchain.
There are many instances where a lack of proper communication between two parties ended up destroying years of work. Not only does it hurt others involved (for example an organisation or businesses with employees) but it may also create a toxic environment.
A case instance is where I Interned for school project as we always do as students in this part of the world. It is a radio station and unfortunately, there is a chasm between the workers. The tension is palpable and the ego is way bigger than their skill set. I watch as they tear down each other then turn around and blame themselves for one thing or the other. I remember telling myself, “I’m really glad I don’t work here”.
Now, how is it possible to run effective communication with other people and get an understanding? The fact remains that many people do not listen to understand but for their next reply. They have a reply ready for the next response from the other person. The underlying message (or do I say feelings) is completely overlooked. This just leads to building frustration and eventually, a lash out.
I do wonder, how can one be better at communicating? How do I get to understand people without letting my feelings get involved? If there’s one thing I have come to realise it is that when there is money involved, all emotions are cast aside. What is needed now is a pragmatic approach (diplomatic if you will) and this won’t sit well with everyone on the boat, especially when they have invested a lot of time and effort into that venture.
Someone like me tends to let my heart do the thinking job. However, moving forward, I realised that there are things only the brain can handle. When Carl Jung said, “Thinking is difficult…” he wasn’t joking. I find thinking to be quite a task too. Engaging the brain in such an exercise can be quite daunting. No wonder people just let their pride or idealist opinions lead the way. There’s no room for compromise or tolerance. And we wonder why it’s very difficult to communicate.
Most times, I feel my own pride trying to get mixed in the game. When I’m having a conversation with someone and they say something I know is not right or can be wrong, the temptation to immediately fit them into a box rises up. But, now I have to stop and think. Their background, their language, their sense of perception, all these are contributing factors to how they view certain topics. It may not change the fact that they are still wrong, but it does beg the listener to try “wearing a different shoe”.
Which can never be possible for some people who have never had the “privilege” of understanding differences and diversity in their beauty. So rigid and very inflexible in the way they think and perceive life. Everyone fits into a box in their perspective. No one is exempt. There is a label for everyone and everything. And anything that doesn’t fit their description of “good” is “bad”.
It’s quite early here and I was just pondering on the reason why communication tends to fail. I don’t know the answer either. It beats me most times. Sometimes, they say, ignoring is never enough.
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