Communication - December 2011 Issue



http://aspanational.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/is-effective-communication-a-casualty-of-todays-contention/

Communication is an essential part of our everyday lives. We use it in phone conversations, public chats, SMS, and face-to-face oral articulation. However, what are little known to most people are the origins of language and terms. For example, the commonly used phrase “good bye,” was derived from “god bye,” which originated from “God be with you.” Simple lingual phrases are in common application all around us, but we, as people, are blissfully unaware of what they truly mean. Some believe it’s due to our lack of concern or indifference to learn the deeper meaning of anything. I personally believe it is because we are content with skimming texts and languages to the point where we are able to use it, without having to truly understand what it actually means. We “don’t find the time” to discover what it is that we are actually saying, so long as we are able to say it.

A classic example of this can be alluded to in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” The story starts out by detailing the lives of the ignorant, the indifferent, those who are limited in their capacity to comprehend that which is greater than them. These men and women are shackled into place in their cave, with nothing to see but the shadows projected onto the wall in front of them. These shadows are projected here from behind them, where a fire burns to provide the light, and where men and women from outside the cave, the enlightened, attempt to show the ignorant the world outside their own. These men and women, being shackled in place, know nothing of the world outside their humble and content inducing cave, aside from the mirage and shady images of the shadows in front of them.

However, occasionally, one man will be released from his shackles by the enlightened, be led out of the darkness, and allowed to witness the deeper and more intuitive thought process and functionality of life as it truly is. Upon seeing the sun for the first time, the man would understandably experience fright and bewilderedness; he will attempt to return back into the safety of the cave to escape the light. However, his interest has been toyed with, and he will slowly inch back out of the cave to see the world. Upon doing so, he will come to realize that his world in the cave was a simple puppet show – lack of life, truth, clarity, depth. The man’s vision has now adjusted in proportion to the light outside. Naturally, he will wish to run back and tell his peers, who are still shackled in the cave.

Upon returning, the man’s vision in the dark has been ruined because his eyes have not adapted to the darkness of the cave after just being exposed to the intense light of the sun. The men and women in the cave will laugh at his awkwardness in maneuvering the cave, and will quickly assume that the outside world did nothing but blind the man. Should the man attempt to explain what he saw, the ignorant will dismiss it as being the words of a mad man. Should he remove their chains, they will turn on him, and kill him.

This allegory, although personifying our inner reluctance to change, astutely puts the humanly flaw into perspective. The metaphorical language in the allegory explains how and why men become enlightened, and why others choose to stay in their current disparity of worldly knowledge. The newly enlightened man has developed an acute perspicacity of the world – he, who understands, he who philosophizes. He has developed new introspective habits, and although they provide him with new perceptions of the universe, he is openly ridiculed and put down by his peers.

The truth behind this allegory is that the shackles by which the men are chained in the cave are actually their resistance to what they don’t know – their ignorance. The shadows represent the falsehoods and limitations by which people understand language and communication of the world. The world outside represents the truth, and he who ventures out into it is the philosopher – or in context, the enlightened man about his language. The man’s initial revulsion to the sun’s light is the typical response of the man who is learning the truth – they hesitate before contemplating whether or not they wish to continue. Lastly, upon returning to the cave where the others are chained down, he will attempt to convert them, or recognize the truth. These men, who had spent their entire lives in the cave of half-truths, will naturally resist this transition of thought that someone is attempting to enforce upon them. They may respond with violent backlash, as happened in the case of Socrates, who was driven into poisoning himself.

Although his is a radical response to the truth, it can be conceded to that, what started out as ignorance in language depth can be related back to our overall desire to stay within our own world. I end this by proposing a challenge: Spend an entire day and just be open to everything that comes your way. Try that new restaurant that opened across the street, try eating that sushi with the entire packet of wasabi, go see that movie that everyone is talking about, take a small bit of time to exercise your mind and research your language. Also, see how many times in the day you see something extraordinary and document or remember how you reacted to it. Was it in a mocking attitude towards him or her who was behaving differently? Perhaps you were open and understanding to their behavior? These small tasks can go a long way to leading an enlightened and more knowledgeable life, and it might even surprise you to see the world when you leave your cave.