Miracle of Communication

Seanan, a friend of mine who does Sheng Xiao (Chinese Zodiac) readings just told me a nugget of wisdom that he's learned over the years: There are a million paths and a million doors to a single room. It's nearly impossible for any to explain to the others how they got there.

I wanted to share this because it reminds me of something I often find myself pondering with people in conflict: Every successful communication is a miracle. We should not be surprised when it doesn't work. 

In order to effectively communicate to another person we must,

  1. know what we want to say;

  2. convert the thought into coded language (which was developed by strangers over millennia);

  3. convert the language into a complex set of neuronal electrical signals;

  4. convert the electrical signals into throat vibrations;

  5. which then compress the air and travel through space and/or a digital medium;

  6. and then cause tiny ear bones to vibrate.

  7. The ear bone vibrations are then converted into electrical signals;

  8. which the second brain then interprets and attempts to understand based on its own configuration.

All of that is independent of the fact that we each come from infinitely distinct life journeys - ones that are the product of our unique ancestry, unique experiences and unique worldviews. 

So the next time that you find yourself in a room with someone, try to have patience if you don't immediately understand where they are coming from or how they got there.

Duncan Autreycommunication, orgs1 Comment