Bridging The Gap
Today I had a lengthy discussion with someone regarding "communication". What is it exactly? How do we define it? When I checked my dictionary for the meaning, this is what I found:
"1. The act of communicating; transmission. 2a. The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior. b. Interpersonal rapport"
Now while I understand that this, like many other words in our language, may well have many varied meanings, I was most intrigued with the single word "exchange". To me, that is the most definative part of the meaning. Surely you may consider hearing a newscast on TV or radio as a "communication" and perhaps reading a paper can also be construed as a "communication", for they DO impart information to some degree, but I am more interested in that type of communication that relates the "exchange" of information. When we not only "talk to", but "listen for" the response. You voice an opinion, I listen, interpret and respond.THAT is communication. So you will see the irony when I tell you that only moments before my discussion, I had received an email which rambled on about how someone was going to continue their "communication" with me about the things THEY think are important, (regardless of any opinion that I may have or wish to voice, regardless of the fact that I have no opportunity for any input whatsoever). This communique ended by informing me that... "communication is of the utmost importance and that you can never communicate too much". I suppose that I should feel lucky that I even received the email because without it, how would I ever know just how much someone else loves to hear themselves talk!
Today's Quote:
The following are the universally fundamental laws of literary communication: 1. one must have something to communicate; 2. one must have someone to whom to communicate it; 3. one must really communicate it, not merely express it for oneself alone. Otherwise it would be more to the point to remain silent.-Friedrich Von Schlegel
5:41:02 PM 
|
|
