The Essence of Communication

आप शानदार विचारों के हो सकते हैं, लेकिन आप उन्हें भर में प्राप्त नहीं कर सकते हैं, तो अपने विचारों को कहीं भी नहीं मिलेगा।

Isn't that such a great statement! It is so true! 

How many of you just tried to google translate that? See communication is so important. The great thing is we have translators to help us with foreign languages. But what if our spouses language is foreign to us? What about your roommate? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Best friend? Is there a translator for that? Generally no. Last time I checked, people don't come with instruction manuals. 

So for all those just dying to know what that says or even what language it is, fret no longer. It's Hindi for "You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere" by Lee Lacocca.

Communication is key in our lives. However, only some of our communication comes from the words we use. The majority of how we communicate is in our tone and body language. So let's think, what is the primary way you communicate with others? Do you talk to people face to face, call them on the phone, email, text, skype? There are so many ways we can communicate and sadly most people choose texting.  Now why would this be a problem? Well, as I just said only a small amount of our communication comes from the words we use. In texts you don't see people's body language or hear their tone. Sure there are emojis and exclamation marks and question marks but what good does that do? A little bit yes, but in the long run not much compared to face to face talking. 

It's important to communicate with those around you, especially a significant other. No one person is the same. No one has the exact same views and ideas and personality. This is what makes communicating so interesting. As you talk to others and get to know them then your perspective can widen by what they know and believe. You can see more on the horizon in a way. Hold your finger up in front of you, now close one eye, now switch eyes. What happened to your finger? It moved right!? When you look at your finger, you are seeing two different images. Your brain makes it into one and you are able to tell perception and distance where your finger is. This is just like different perspectives. If you have more than one view on something you are able to see a better and bigger picture than being one sided. 

Now take note in the next couple days how you communicate. What source do you generally use? Text, call, face to face? What would you prefer people to use to communicate with you?  How is the communication in your relationships? How is the communication in the environment around you? When I go on campus I cannot tell you how many people I see on their phones. (On most days I am one of them.) But, I can tell you that communication is huge for me. I can be quite a talker and I really do enjoy being able to hold a good conversation with someone about meaningful things. Communication is vital to our lives.