Spent an interesting hour in the Bob Jane waiting room the other day while the car received a little attention. Happened to coincide with the last ten minutes of the US presidential debate, but what was even more amusing than the antics on the screen was the fact the TV had teletext for those with hearing difficulties. Coming a few seconds later than the audio, I was amused how minor errors kept cropping up. Not knowing the finer points of teletext and whether it is produced via some magical audio transcription method, or whether some poor person is actually furiously transcribing in real time and skipping and tripping over the keyboard to keep up, the end product has the potential to be quite misleading.
It all happened too quickly for me to take notes, but the telecast was followed by a press conference or some such with PM Scott Morrison in usual jovial up-beat form. The same teletext was flashing across the screen and I watched more closely this time as he referred to the lifting of borders to allow international rivals to enter the country. He'd actually said 'arrivals' but the written faux pas gave it a completely different meaning, and I wondered whether anyone relying on the teletext for accurate information would've been more than alarmed at that point.
And then there was the moment the PM acknowledged that his Deity Prime Minister had represented him at some function or other. Of course, it was the Deputy Prime Minister he had spoken about, but the teletext gave the leader of the National Party an elevated position way above his pay-grade plus a whole other quality I would've thought he certainly didn't have. All too soon the car was ready and I had to pull myself away from what had become more fascinating viewing than what I normally watch.
We all have moments when what comes out of our mouths isn't heard in the way it was intended. For some reason the distance between what is said and what is heard can be a very wide gap fraught with much danger and misinterpretation. Both our own life experiences as well as those of others we are attempting to communicate with, will colour the way we project our thoughts and ideas, and how they will be received. Even body language and the effect of what is not being said, perceived ulterior motives or manipulation or prejudices, can affect the simplest of conversations.
No matter how much we interact with each other every day, we still live our lives in our own little bubbles, seeing the world through our particular frame of reference, captives of our own paradigm. It takes skill and patience to develop the art of communication, to listen, to see beyond what we believe the world to be at this point in time, to acknowledge that the life experiences and opinions and beliefs of others are just as valid as our own. Never underestimate the worlds of others and their impact on the human soul simply because it's not the world in which you or I live.
They're simply different, that's all
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