Communication

I'm just going to come out and say this.

I've been thinking alot about things, as I usually do. I've been reading about the human mind, how it works, why we think the way we do, the way we communicate, how to build relationships. I love to watch people, I recently got an email from a friend who stated that I "size people up"... I don't totally agree with that. I do care about people, people I don't even know. I'll sit in the mall and watch people. Yes, I'm that person. I wonder how they are, where they came from, what their thinking about, if they're struggling, where they are in life, what they're happy about, etc. Most people try to hide the way they feel. Lots of times, it's easy for me to see that. It's easy to see in the way they interact, how they're feeling. Sometimes people don't show emotion, but that's just another sign of how they're feeling.

Be observant with others. Be intentional, if you really care. Consider others before yourself. Be real. Ask questions.

Why else was communication invented? We aren't supposed to sit in silence, look at each other, assume this or that, and go on with life. But why do we do that? We don't like the real stuff. Unfortunately, we like the artificial facts. Apparently they're more appealing to our tastebuds than genuineness. That's why americans are fat. We don't like to break it down, get down to what's good for us, what we really need, what's going on. We like the candy coated version, which is only doing us more harm in the end.

I was recently reading a book that quoted Shakespeare,

"All the worlds a stage and all the people are merely players."

To identify with people, we must consider the stage each of us is performing on.

We must be considerate, we must communicate to one another. We tend to think everyones at the same point in life as we are. Whether it's good or bad. We like to think we're all at the same level. Wrong, again. You can't put people on the same level as yourself. We all require different things. We can't relate to each other with that kind of thinking. That's why we really have to get to know each other. See where we're coming from. Let people know you care about them. Be verbal with them. Verbal? Yes, that's called communication. Don't be scared, it really is a good thing. If you really care about someone and want a real friendship/relationship, ask questions. Not just surface. Dive deeper. Go to the place where you want to take it.

Is that why most relationships are surfacey? Because we really don't want to take it further? Even though we like to think otherwise.

Hmm. Interesting.
Think about it.

Relationships shouldn't be a chore, but they do require work.