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Thursday, July 2, 2009 The Need for Communication"Silence is Golden""Children should be seen, not heard" "Empty vessels make the most noise" We've heard them all. I grew up on these idioms. I believed in them so much that over time, I spoke less. The lesser I spoke, the more I held within myself. Is communication really such a bad thing? The recent events in my life have taught me that it is not. Communication is essential. It becomes detrimental only when we commit more than we should. Isn't it not for everything in this world? Anything that is indulged in excess becomes poison to the soul. Today's entry is not about moderation. It's about the importance of communication, even if it's for a few seconds. A few weeks back, I was going through a rough time. Circumstances led me to stand firm on what I believed in. My mother was unhappy with my indifference and she refused to speak to me. I have no other kin or kith. My friends had their own problems. I had no one to speak to. The pangs of loneliness I felt those two days were beyond words. To keep my sanity, I had to call two of my friends to just have a 5-minute casual conversation. I did not speak of my problems or my anguish but those 5 minutes were precious to me. They were suffice to keep my sanity. It was then I realised the importance of communication, even if it is gibberish. Do I have story for this setting? Yes, I do. :) And it's a true story. During the Vietnam War, many American soldiers were held captive by the enemies in prison cells. The soldiers were deliberately isolated from one another so that they could not communicate and plot an escape. Hence, each prisoner was confined to a lone cell. It was difficult to communicate with a fellow comrade in the next cell especially with the wardens watching over them like hawks. It became maddening and depressing for the soldiers who were unsure whether they would ever go back home.  One day, an American soldier came up with a brilliant idea. He created his own code language. With each tap on the wall, he communicated a letter of the alphabet. Each different alphabet was determined by different number of taps. The message got passed on from cell to cell and every prisoner learnt the code language. It became easier for them to communicate. Over time, they got so good at it, that they began communicating faster, as if they were talking to each other. The code language helped the prisoners-of-war find comfort and encouragement in each other's 'words'. They had found a way to keep their sanity in the most trying time of their life. Communication is not only the essence of being human, but also a vital property of life. - John A. Piece Labels: To Think About |
