Can We Talk?

The answer to this question is yes. Yes, we can talk assuming we have functional vocal cords and a decent command of the language we speak. Talking allows us an opportunity to share what is on our minds along with offering a way for those we interact with to get to know who we are and how we think. Conversation is a pathway to understanding each other and is a constant in every aspect of our lives, whether in school, on the job, at home, or on vacation. Conversations are constantly taking place. Everyone has something to say, and everyone wants to be heard. The question is, is the person on the other side of you hearing what you have to say? Are you doing the same when the roles reverse? Listening alone does not align with being heard.

With that said, rather than asking can we talk, the better question may be can we adequately communicate? Can we articulate our thoughts in such a way that the person we are speaking to is willing to listen? Are we clear in our minds about what we want to say and are we focused on the message we intend to convey? Are we minding our tone of voice, our body language, our facial expressions, and our diction, all of which contribute to how others will receive us? Aggressive posturing, profanity, or raw anger only serves to break down any pre-existing open lines of communication. Who wants to stand before someone who is angrily barking out their thoughts? Or looking away daydreaming about where they would rather be instead of having to listen to you.

As members of the human species, we possess a unique ability to verbalize our opinions and share our experiences. I mean what good is the constant streaming of thoughts that we cannot turn off if not converted into spoken words? Thoughts can be shared and heard, but coherent language is how we best achieve that goal. Communication is the vehicle used to efficaciously relate to one another.

Do bear in mind that not everything we have to say must be spoken, much less heard. Speech requires a filter, a sort of quick-fire pre-screening before we open our mouths. Thought without a filter implies we can say any and everything that streams through our consciousness, and that could be disastrous in most if not all situations. The point is that we should shy away from just saying anything because we think it. Not everything we think is intended to be spoken. Especially, when we know our thoughts can sometimes be jumbled, unintelligible, and plain incoherent to even us.

The bottom line is that communication is a vital component of every society to allow humans the best chance to co-exist. Developing excellent communication skills allows for a better understanding of one another given we rely on human interaction to determine who and what we like, what we will or will not tolerate, how our relationships will grow or collapse, or how successful we will be in life, among other things.

When we collectively learn to accept that we are not designed to see eye-to-eye on everything and understand that we can agree to disagree, we will find that communicating with each other can afford us an opportunity to recognize how much our coexistence relies on our ability to communicate.