Failure to Communicate
A reader makes this comment: What I was trying to point out is that this sort of Internet communication is a relatively new-fangled thing for humanity and we haven’t learned yet how to accurately inject the equivalent of the non-verbal cues that soften face to face communication – those non-verbal cues that allow the hearer to more accurately determine if you are using sarcasm, or are entirely sincere. Therefore, the probability of accurately getting the real intent of a communication with only black and white letters is probably pretty low.
JJ: I had several misconceptions of the internet when I first came on board. One thing I thought that would be really great about it, and an advantage over in-person communication, is that one can avoid impulsive and hurtful speech because when you write you have more time to think than when you speak. If you write something that is hurtful you have time to erase it before you send. On the other hand, many relationship problems occur because of impulsive speech that one may wish he hadn’t said and you cannot take back.
I therefore assumed that discussions on the internet would wind up being friendly and reasonable most of the time. Boy, was I wrong, especially concerning forums where people can post anonymously. There they insult each other to the degree that a major fistfight would occur if done in person. Even in a forum such as ours, composed some of the best people on the planet who are seeking spiritual love and truth, the words exchanged are sometimes hurtful and not too well thought out.
You make a good point that internet discussions do have disadvantages for in-person you can see a person’s facial expressions, his eyes, hear his inflections, tone of voice, feel the emotion in the voice etc. When we talk in person we have a better chance to tune in to all that the person is trying to say.
Even so, there is a lot of miscommunication both in person and on the internet. Unless two people are communicating through the soul there will be some misunderstanding and one must insure that he speak as accurately and with as much good will as possible.
Overall, I was very surprised to see how easily people were offended in internet discussions. Sometimes they are very offended at fairly harmless speech and read into statements meaning that was never there.
The bottom line is neither speech nor the written word is a panacea for perfect communication but we must always be vigilant to see that our words reflect our thoughts as accurately as possible with as much harmlessness as possible.
Swiss woman dies after attempting to live on sunlight
Interesting story here of a woman who lived about a year on sunlight before she starved to death. There have been reports though of those who have done this for a lifetime. Here is the report:
Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reports that a woman starved to death after embarking on a spiritual diet that required her to stop eating or drinking and live off sunlight alone.
The woman, aged in her fifties, is reported to have stopped eating and drinking in 2010 after watching a documentary about an Indian guru who claimed to have lived that way for 70 years.
Tages-Anzeiger says there have been similar cases of self-starvation in Germany, Britain and Australia.
The prosecutors’ office in the Swiss canton (state) of Aargau confirmed Wednesday that the woman died in January 2011 in the town of Wolfhalden in eastern Switzerland.
There is a foolish corner in the brain of the wisest man. – Aristotle
April 17, 2010
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