Communication

Conscientious communication is a hallmark of commitment and respect in any relationship. Tweeting to the entire Universe is not communication in the sense of relationship. It is pronouncement. This blog is not communication. It is a published personal reflection. 

It takes at least two real people in the same place and time to engage in the process of conscientious communication. Today the word "place" may include audio-video media. Skype and Google Video are places in this context. Email, on the other hand, is not the best form of conscientious communication. It is a good method for sharing reflections and reactions, but it lacks the emotional and intellectual ingredients of conscientious communication in a real-time sense.

Maintaining the quality of routine communication is the challenge of a rewarding relationship. Some healthy relationships can weather interrupted communication, but few relationships can weather prolonged lack of communication. Work relationships which suffer from communication problems damage the quality of the tasks they are centered on. 

As a practicing humanist, I take responsibility for maintaining the quality of communication in my relationships. The process of relating is a relationship. An essential part of that process is mutual sharing of feelings, facts and ideas. Lack of communication skills impairs all forms of human interaction. Therefore, learning to communicate responsibly and effectively is a cornerstone of humanist practice.