The Hills of Park North

My Take by Dale Anderson

Feb 15, 2004

A priest and pastor from the local churches are
standing by the side of the road pounding a sign into the ground that reads:
The end is near! Turn yourself around now before it's to late!
"Leave us alone you, religious nuts!" yelled a
driver as he sped by. From around the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash.
The pastor turns to the priest and asks, "Do you think the sign should just say 'Bridge Out'?"
Words! What are they? We have tried for thousands of years to develop a language that allows us to communicate with each other. Different cultures have developed different languages, but the bottom line is the same?–the purpose?–to open a line of communication
with each other. Some of us try to learn other
languages so that we may even share in each other?’s culture. But no matter what language it is, the words are simply that?–words. A speaker has a meaning implied in his words, but as you can see from the opening story, those words may not have the same meaning to the listener.
Words change over time. The word ?“bad?” today
doesn?’t necessarily mean bad any more. ?“What?’s up!?” is not necessarily a request for me to stop and look up above. It could be a question about what is happening in my life. It depends on the speaker and context.
The key to understanding is two- way
communications. I should not jump to conclusions based only on what I hear the first time, who the speaker is, or what he/she looks like. I must make certain that what I hear is really what the speaker is trying to convey. The only way to do that is to ask questions, repeat back to the speaker what was said in my own words,
read the speaker?’s body language, and listen to the tone of the speaker?’s voice. All these things give me clues to the speaker?’s real meaning.
Of course it is important, as a speaker, to know where the listener is coming from as well. I shouldn?’t talk to a two-year-old the same way as I speak to a teenager. They don?’t have the same experience with the language. And as an adult living in the 21st century, it might do me well to learn some of the teen lingo. I may not use it, but it may help me to understand what
our teenagers are experiencing. And, teenagers, don?’t lose sight of the culture in which you live. At some point you may be looking for a job or trying to get ahead in that culture, and the teen lingo just won?’t fly (Does that mean I won?’t grow wings and lift myself off the ground?). Maybe I should have said that
teen lingo just won?’t cut it (or does that mean I
won?’t be able to slice a piece of cheese?).
WOW! Words really do get in the way, don?’t they? Better sit down and talk with me about what I mean. Notice, I did not say talk at me or to me. I said talk with me, implying that it is a two-way-street. Have you come to the same conclusion as I?–that communication is hard if done right? I hope so! I hope, too, that we all take the time to work at it.