i think the biggest issue people have when trying to interact with each other is a lack of meaningful and mindful communication. note that communication and meaningful/mindful communication are not the same thing. an awful lot of people only seem to talk for the fun of it, don’t engage with the other side of the conversation, and don’t put a lot of effort into what they’re saying.
social interaction can be one of the most confusing, murky things people will ever deal with. there are a lot of rules and etiquette expectations, a lot of subtextual cues and markers, tone, vocabulary, intent, etc… it can be hard for people, even the best intentioned people, to get right. and it can be harder still for other people to identify when communication is used without intent, or worse, with malicious intent.
i think words should be treated like tools, or weapons. used with purpose, used skillfully, and practised mindfully to hone one’s art. communication can be hard, but it can be made a team effort. take some time to reach out to the people around you. have a conversation, talk about something real. get to know how they communicate, read below the surface. make a connection. it’ll be one of the best things you’ll ever do.
being able to communicate mindfully is one of the best skills you will ever develop, because it will allow you access to paths you couldn’t otherwise take. it will help you negotiate, it will help you explain, it will help you teach and learn, and more than that, it will help you understand.
i am privileged to have some people in my life with whom i share good, open, honest and mindful communication, and it has been very beneficial to my mental health. but also, it’s helped me grow and develop as a human. it’s been a long road to get to where we are, but i’m a better person for it… or at least i’d like to think i am.
we need to talk more. we need to talk properly. we need to communicate and make connections with each other, because if we do, we can help make the world a little brighter, one conversation at a time.
