Communication
Everyone and every culture has a different way of communicating. Some do it through actions, some gestures. Some people have to say what they feel, some can never find the words. For myself, I have always communicated best with the written word. To me there is something magical intertwined between the letters and that can reflect sentiment far better than I can in voice. Language is the essence of humanity and the written word is far more complex than the spoken one. When speaking, 2,000 English words cover 96% of the average person's vocabulary. The passive vocabulary that a person understands is far higher, perhaps 10,000 words.
Writing rather then speaking gives me an opportunity to think and reflect. Often the spoken word only reflects a momentary emotion yet is void of contemplation. It is ironic in a way, I was trained years ago in speech and debate. In high school it was my passion and I was highly decorated for my ability. However, as life progressed something changed. I began to hate speaking. Public speaking is the worst. While I can do it, I dread it. Even personal communication can be difficult. I despise telephones because they even remove physical emotion from the conversation reducing it to nothing more than intonation and words. People convey so much through their faces and gestures yet all of this is gone when a telephone is placed to the ear.
There are times in this rapidly changing world when I have started to feel lost. Writing takes too much time for most people and the preference is for the quick. It is for the instant message or the quick conversation. People would rather 'chat' than compose. Composition take time and effort. I have often been accused of being introverted, lacking a desire to socialize. While superficially this is true, my hesitance is derived mostly from the superficial. When knowing a person I thirst for something more complex, more profound.
Even in my own relationship, I met my wife through letters. We wrote for years before we ever even met. For most this might seem awkward but for me it was a chance to know her in a deeply profound way before I ever met her.
There is something pure about writing to a person before you ever meet them. So much of inter personal communication is based on visual judgment. We meet a person and immediately render an opinion before we ever contemplate their words as a reflection of their personality. Sadly, at that initial point, a curtain is drawn. Written communication when initially established gives a chance of discovery on the inner person before the external one is added to the equation.
Recently I have found a sense of humanity hidden beneath the simplicity of a simple email. I wrote the owner of a tattoo shop in Las Vegas. Okay, call it a midlife crisis or whatever but I was contemplating a tattoo. The conversation quickly surpassed a simple price estimate and I soon became one of life and point of view. I still am not sure if I will do it but if I decide to, I feel so much more comfortable. I feel that the person that would ink me would see me more then just a customer, they would see me as a deeper person. I am resolved that even if I don't get the tattoo I will most definitely stop by the shop in Las Vegas and visit my tattoo shop owner friend.
The same thing goes for a recent communication I established with a laser clinic. I am cursed with more hair on my body than on my head and forever I have wanted to have some of it removed. I have finally summoned the courage yet as it is something physical, it is difficult to open myself up even to being analyzed for a procedure. I wrote an inquiry email, found a human being, and have ended up having a charming conversation that has alleviated feelings of self doubt. I have actually grown to the point that I am looking forward to having it done and even more, I am fondly anticipating the chance to meet my dermatological friend.
Life presents so many personalities and I believe in each there is something to learn. The problem is, crossing the divide of the superficial into the expanse of the great unknown. Out within that region is a chance to learn and expand ourselves.
One of my most favorite things about visiting Las Vegas is a chance to cross paths with people different than myself. The town is a hub of every element of society and the variety is amazing. I have thought some day when I retire, I would like to drive a cab for a couple months in a city like Las Vegas. I just to see who I come across. To meet rich people and poor people, drug addicts and prostitutes. In each character there is a story and in each story there is inspiration for my own creativity.
If we as a society lose the ability to communicate we lose a piece of ourselves. Our experience as a nation is framed inside the portraits of its people. In some way for me, written language is a gateway to understanding and learning. With each passing day it seems harder and harder to find those that value the same. Perhaps some day someone answering a dating questionnaire will respond to, "Do you value written communication and are you willing to invest time in this as way of learning about your partner?"
For myself, the written word is a gateway to the world. Thankfully, while the gate has closed quite a bit in the past few years the hinges are worn and there is still an opportunity to squeeze through it. On the other side is a world of tragedy, laughter, tears and comfort. It is a reflection of ourselves, in what we are, what we might be and what we will hopefully never be. It defines our place in the world and lets us walk into the eyes of others. The written word is a beautiful thing, it defines us as humans. It records our thoughts and emotions. It reflects love and pain. Perhaps I will tweet this thought to the world if I can only figure out how to write it in 140 characters or less.
Writing rather then speaking gives me an opportunity to think and reflect. Often the spoken word only reflects a momentary emotion yet is void of contemplation. It is ironic in a way, I was trained years ago in speech and debate. In high school it was my passion and I was highly decorated for my ability. However, as life progressed something changed. I began to hate speaking. Public speaking is the worst. While I can do it, I dread it. Even personal communication can be difficult. I despise telephones because they even remove physical emotion from the conversation reducing it to nothing more than intonation and words. People convey so much through their faces and gestures yet all of this is gone when a telephone is placed to the ear.
There are times in this rapidly changing world when I have started to feel lost. Writing takes too much time for most people and the preference is for the quick. It is for the instant message or the quick conversation. People would rather 'chat' than compose. Composition take time and effort. I have often been accused of being introverted, lacking a desire to socialize. While superficially this is true, my hesitance is derived mostly from the superficial. When knowing a person I thirst for something more complex, more profound.
Even in my own relationship, I met my wife through letters. We wrote for years before we ever even met. For most this might seem awkward but for me it was a chance to know her in a deeply profound way before I ever met her.
There is something pure about writing to a person before you ever meet them. So much of inter personal communication is based on visual judgment. We meet a person and immediately render an opinion before we ever contemplate their words as a reflection of their personality. Sadly, at that initial point, a curtain is drawn. Written communication when initially established gives a chance of discovery on the inner person before the external one is added to the equation.
Recently I have found a sense of humanity hidden beneath the simplicity of a simple email. I wrote the owner of a tattoo shop in Las Vegas. Okay, call it a midlife crisis or whatever but I was contemplating a tattoo. The conversation quickly surpassed a simple price estimate and I soon became one of life and point of view. I still am not sure if I will do it but if I decide to, I feel so much more comfortable. I feel that the person that would ink me would see me more then just a customer, they would see me as a deeper person. I am resolved that even if I don't get the tattoo I will most definitely stop by the shop in Las Vegas and visit my tattoo shop owner friend.
The same thing goes for a recent communication I established with a laser clinic. I am cursed with more hair on my body than on my head and forever I have wanted to have some of it removed. I have finally summoned the courage yet as it is something physical, it is difficult to open myself up even to being analyzed for a procedure. I wrote an inquiry email, found a human being, and have ended up having a charming conversation that has alleviated feelings of self doubt. I have actually grown to the point that I am looking forward to having it done and even more, I am fondly anticipating the chance to meet my dermatological friend.
Life presents so many personalities and I believe in each there is something to learn. The problem is, crossing the divide of the superficial into the expanse of the great unknown. Out within that region is a chance to learn and expand ourselves.
One of my most favorite things about visiting Las Vegas is a chance to cross paths with people different than myself. The town is a hub of every element of society and the variety is amazing. I have thought some day when I retire, I would like to drive a cab for a couple months in a city like Las Vegas. I just to see who I come across. To meet rich people and poor people, drug addicts and prostitutes. In each character there is a story and in each story there is inspiration for my own creativity.
If we as a society lose the ability to communicate we lose a piece of ourselves. Our experience as a nation is framed inside the portraits of its people. In some way for me, written language is a gateway to understanding and learning. With each passing day it seems harder and harder to find those that value the same. Perhaps some day someone answering a dating questionnaire will respond to, "Do you value written communication and are you willing to invest time in this as way of learning about your partner?"
For myself, the written word is a gateway to the world. Thankfully, while the gate has closed quite a bit in the past few years the hinges are worn and there is still an opportunity to squeeze through it. On the other side is a world of tragedy, laughter, tears and comfort. It is a reflection of ourselves, in what we are, what we might be and what we will hopefully never be. It defines our place in the world and lets us walk into the eyes of others. The written word is a beautiful thing, it defines us as humans. It records our thoughts and emotions. It reflects love and pain. Perhaps I will tweet this thought to the world if I can only figure out how to write it in 140 characters or less.
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