Communication

Clear and concise communication can be developed with practice. As a tongue-tied, dyslexic child, I spent my early years in troubled silence. I was misunderstood and often paid the price by being ignored or worse. My struggle to become articulate was long and arduous.

I am still an inarticulate child at times. I say things I regret. I talk around my feelings. I am a practicing human being. That means I am not perfect. Practice, despite the adage, is not about attaining perfection. Practice is about creatively and intentionally discovering how mindful and compassionate I can become in this lifetime. That practice will never be done. There will be no award ceremony. There will be no matriculation. 

Communicating clearly requires communicating. Playing the saxophone well requires playing the saxophone. I have been astounded throughout my life by those who choose to clam up for long periods when they are most disturbed. While discreet silence has its merits at times, withholding and pouting are counterproductive. The inability to communicate is an indication that a problem requires attention. 

The communication age which enables bloggers like me has strangely degraded the quality of much of the communication in society. A famous designer once declared, "Less is more." In the case of the communication age, more appears to be less. Obscenity, disrespect and ranting are omnipresent in type and in public. Clear communication of mindfulness and compassion is rare. 

I believe an entire personal practice could center on quality communication alone. Communication with the self and communication with the environment. This is certainly a good place to start in any personal daily practice.