Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The Communication that prevents illnesses...

One of the biggest and most severe problems faced by humankind today is lack of communication. After reading this, one might think...what about the other more severe problems in this world like, the huge amount of poverty, the countless sorrows faced by millions, the natural calamities, current Wall Street issue... Yes, I feel the pain and I pray to God everyday to make this world a better place, spread happiness and let everyone be at peace. Sometimes I also pray to God to help people realize the value of "Communication". I don't think I will meet anybody who shares my prayer on communication. And the reason for that is because people do not value the importance of communication. Now when I say communication, I do not mean how well a person talks or how good the vocabulary or diction, grammar and pronunciation is ...definitely not the "communication skills" that is forever in demand on the profiles published on job boards.

Communication to me is the desire one feels to be heard, to find a way to convey the right meaning, to give voice to your true feelings. When someone tries to communicate in the manner that I am talking about, it does not matter whether that person is a smooth talker and a stickler of being politically, grammatically and verbally correct. What matters is whether the thought process, the feelings and the honest intentions are allowed to guide the way one communicates. A person who understands the value of communication will communicate when the time is right and also make sure that the words are right. If at loss of finding the right words, take efforts to convey the exact meaning, so the listener gets it without any prejudice. A lot of times, communication is taken for granted and assumptions are given undue importance. It should be the other way round. Tempting and less time consuming as it may be, assumptions can be dangerous. In my opinion, crystal clear communication should be habitual rather than a rare display of ones personality. It truly has the power to resolve all complications and conflicts of life.

It is very important to understand that clear communication needs to be "groomed". It has to be supported by being a good listener, being patient and respecting what others have to say when they are communicating. Knowing when to keep quiet and knowing when to end the conversation. It is also very important to believe in what you are saying. If you don't believe in what you say, you are wasting the most precious and expensive resource - "time", your time as well as time of others involved in the communication. A dark side of communication is when some people misuse it to misguide other people, which is an illness in itself. Let's not focus on the dark side of communication. The communication that I am talking about prevents illnesses. Illnesses like misunderstanding, not trying to understand how it feels to be in the other person's shoes, not opening your mind to their point of view...A lot of people might know how to communicate, but their communication is often one dimensional, self focused and lacks the ability to diagnose the symptoms of these illnesses. We should aim to master the art of communication that prevents illnesses. This can be done in stages, the first stage being, mastering the art of communication that cures illnesses which gradually will lead to mastering the art of communication that prevents illnesses.

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