The English Patient (or, some thoughts on communication)

     

well my dear ones,

I spent yesterday, Memorial Day,

doing some work around the yard

while giving thanks

that I even have a yard in which to work

thanks to the men and women

who gave their lives for my freedom

to choose to do whatever I choose

whenever I choose to do it...

...God bless them all.

This message I'm about to share

may seem stupid to you

and that's OK,

but here's a bit of practicality for you

on which I have meditated for some time.

Years ago, when it first came out,

I took my wife to see the movie,

The English Patient,

because of the great press it had gotten

as well as the recommendation of friends.

My wife and I were both disappointed,

finding the movie haphazard

and devoid of logic.

(NOTE: No, I had not read the book.)

The next day, when I talked about it

with my friend, Rip, he was like,

"it's a great movie!;

 it's awesome, how could you not like it?"

me: "Rip, I never read the book.  Did you?"

Rip: "Yes."

me: "OK; review the entire movie in your mind

      and think about it in light of

      not having read the book."

Rip: *thinking*

      "Oh, wow; yeah, without the book,

      the background of it,

      the whole movie

      wouldn't make any sense."

Yes, everyone who told me they loved the movie

had also read the book;

hence, their minds could fill in the blanks.

My point isn't to bash the movie,

but I don’t care if it won 9 Academy Awards;

the point is, the movie can't stand on its own.

(Note: if you read the book

 before you saw the movie,

 don’t try and tell me how great it is *lol*)

And the really sad thing is

in real life,

many of us do the same thing

the director of this movie did;

we put forth a movie (our actions)

for other people to see.

Yet unless they get a glimpse

into our "book"

(our intentions, our thoughts,

 what's in our heart)

how will anyone "get" us?

Many of the problems I see

in relationships,

in families,

in the work environment,

are caused by a lack of communication;

and often the person "not gotten"

can't figure out why not.

To put it in simple dave-speak,

"dude/dudette, if you don't give me

 some of your 'book'

 how can I possibly grasp your 'movie'?"

If you're part of the half-percent

of the population who never has

any problem getting your point across,

then this message may not make sense to you.

For the rest of us mere mortals,

the next time someone doesn't "get" you,

consider this:

just how much of your book

did you share with them?

May you never need this message

and may everyone else "get" you always.

Have a great week!

grace, peace, and love to you,

dave


"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil:
 God will not hold us guiltless.
 Not to speak is to speak.
 Not to act is to act."
      --- Dietrich Bonheoffer