Tag: communication

How Clear? (Language #1)

Learning
How clear, Beloved
Do messages show to you?
As clear as clear glass--

About language that is claimed to make things clarified. My ranting just now…..

Language is a tool in the form of spoken, signed/gestured or written symbols structured and agreed by a group of human beings and used by them to communicate and express opinions, emotions, experiences. In the growth language is also to reflect cultural and social identity.

Once I wrote that language is logic of a nation. The way a nation structures the language proves the way one positions itself before nature or other human beings. That’s why the first person is using a capital letter (I) in English in which individuality is prioritised, while formal form of second person is Anda (with a capital letter A) in Bahasa Indonesia in which individuality is second prioritised in a group. It also explains why some language categorise their nouns into genders (male, female), while other language don’t. Do you know why Subject is less important than Predicate that the doer won’t be mentioned in a sentence? Why do some languages have level of honorific (Javanese has 3 levels), while others don’t? Logic of a nation is introduced as early as how the nationals speak the idea: through language. How interestingly do Eskimo have many words for “snow” of different form, time, size; as the Arab have many words for “horse” of different type, movement, emotion, sound of gallops, etc?

The logic of a nation aka language is indeed born through the interaction of nature, culture, nurture!

I wonder though how well a language can convey a message. Which language can convey the message the most clearly? Is it the one with the best grammar? Is it the one with the most vocabulary? Is it the one with the most beautiful intonation? Is it the oldest one? Is it the simplest one like binary code? Which one?

Maybe each language excel in one subject. English and German excel for science. Arabic and Javanese excel for literature. Language with script like Sanskrit, Japanese and Chinese excel in developing  strong cognitive with their intricate writing. And so on. Please don’t quote my limited knowledge and analysis that is based on my limited education.

As much as I admire those who master many languages, I still doubt if they can convey their emotion clearly and honestly through the logic of their nations. Maybe scientifically and logically they can speak or write about something. Yet there is one deep emotion that will fail all languages in many occasions.

What can fail any language? LOVE.

Look at Rumi. Do you think Rumi talks about his wife? No. He talks about divine love. But can Rumi stop others to use his poems and quotes to admire other human beings. No. Freedom of expression. Unclear boundary, failure of accuracy. Dishonesty. Honesty.

How would you trust the sentence “I love you” even if someone truly loves you with no reason? How would love be conveyed with language if “I admire you” can’t even convince the other?

Yes. In general language is a tool to convey messages; but in some cases language is a blocker of a true message.

Some message won’t be strong enough articulated in any language but silence.

Silence is truly the highest level of communication.

Again please don’t quote me because I didn’t review my writing before uploading: typo and immature thought is everywhere.

❣️

Nature’s Work

Learning, life, Poetic

Look at nature's work.
Coloured, shaped, structured and timed.
I shout the delight.

walking through a site is fulfilling, i not only see how the environment is maintained but also capture how nature expresses her beauty freely and beautifully —

this mimosa is beautiful, said i

when i said beautiful, it is not precisely about the subject of discussion (mimosa), it is about how my mind labels the state of emotional response (to the mimosa) happening within me — the same emotion can be interpreted differently by other people based on their schemata, belief system, cultural and physical environment and other possible factors; when i am in bad mood, i might think that same mimosa as just weeds; when i don’t assign emotion to see my surrounding, i might not even regard the same mimosa

so i might never be as objective as expected by many, but definition of emotional labels is discussable and/or debatable and that is where communication will be lively if done with smiles (or laughter)

you’re beautiful 😘

Soft Voice

Learning
The wind brings voice of
Falling leaves softly rustling
About silent notes—

—

I humbly apologise for not being able to read your signs…. Or maybe they are for other addresses.

Salaam 💝

Broken Chair stands in delicate balance on three legs – the fourth having been violently blown off as if by an explosive charge. A way of showing that even mutilated, victims of warviolence are still standing tall, with dignity. (www.unadap.org)
to me “Broken Chair” is also a question “can’t people sit down together and talk instead of defeating others in ignorance?” the saddest symbol I’ve seen

Keep Learning!

Learning, Poetic, This Person
Words don’t end as words.
They wait for context to be:
Fact? Opinion?

————————————————————

Why should be afraid of using precise words —gathered in a context— clear context of statement, question, request or exclamation if it is to positively convey a message and/or to get expected responses?

I found some people are shy if not afraid of conveying messages because of unsuccessful experiences of getting the messages passed on to the others clearly. They thought the failure was purely theirs. No, not at all!

Know, Self that some people don’t have the tools to comprehend certain messages; it can be because of limitation of language, intelligence, culture, perception, intention, name it…. In fact some others simply don’t want to listen.

When the message isn’t well comprehended, an equivalent response most probably will be delivered, which is unpleasant and/or unclear one.

It is not nice to fail in communication. Only true learners never give up trying. 👍🏽

Communication is about intention as intrinsic factor (make sure it is good) and skill as extrinsic. Both take time to be mature. Yet, in whatever stage of maturity both don’t always collaborate at times.

Hell yeah! I’m talking about myself! Next time better, much better than today’s me.

May all beings be happy.

going back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – where am I, where am I?

Signs – ranting

Learning, Poetic

When sign means nothing,

She’s maybe illiterate

Or dead desperate.


—


I had a conversation with a good friend, the topic was “sign”. This particular friend cannot read most of non verbal signs and hints from her spouse clearly. What her spouse shows non verbally won’t trigger any curiosity from her; except when he expresses it verbally then she will understand. Facial gestures, body language, more seriously mental vibration won’t do her any ring anymore.


I thought it was strange as a couple should be able “to read” each other’s feeling or idea with a blink of an eye! At least that’s my ideal couple goal.


Then after a while I can relate to what has happened to me.


I’ve been living away from family for more than 25 years; the 7 of which I’ve lived totally home alone (cats and other pets not counted). And that 7-year period is when I think I’ve lost the ability to read what my family is trying to communicate to me. We either don’t understand “the language” or we just can’t accept “the reasoning”. When it comes to language, I feel that our ability to read kinds of personal or cultural gestures have diminished either with my ignorance to their loving and caring behaviour or with their insensitivity to my practicality and logical thinking. We just don’t know how to match things in many occasions and usually we’ll just tolerate each other by saying “no worry, as long as you are happy and healthy”.


When I asked what happened to my friend and her spouse, she said “I just don’t know what language I should use to communicate with him”. Hmm exactly what I experience with my mother and siblings.


“Why don’t you try guessing whatever you see from him? Just to show that you care?”


“I’ve tried but it looks unnatural. He asked me why I did weird questioning and guessing.”


“It is ok, unnatural at the beginning but will be natural when you find the click”.


“We won’t find a click anymore. We are not happy and not meant to be.”


Eh?


At that point I couldn’t say anything. I think she is not illiterate, she’s seriously desperate.


Gosh! Life is a mystery! We, her close circle have always thought they’re the happiest and I’m the lonely. Now I think it is time to be thankful just for a minute to be happier even than the happiest.


May all beings be happy…..