It’s Not about the Nail

According to the biblical story about the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), when the Lord decided to put a stop to the building of the tower, he “confused” the peoples’ language, thereby making it impossible for them to communicate with each other. No communication, no progress. No progress, no completion.

Turris Babel from Athanasius Kircher (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We have long known that communication is one of the most important variables in every relationship. In fact, nothing worthwhile can be accomplished in any area of life, without healthy communication. But the importance of knowing how to speak and how to listen is magnified in the context of an intimate, committed relationship.

How frequently we fail to say what we mean to say and to fully understand what the other is saying! Both parties may be sincere and highly motivated and still not understand the other. We may find it tedious and frustrating to listen, repeat and explain, but that is what is often is necessary if we are to enjoy the emotional connection that we all seek.

Most of us learn to communicate based upon how we were communicated with during our growing up years. Therein lies much of our problem. We have failed to learn better, healthier patterns. Most people have never taken a course or read a book or viewed a video on couples’ communication. In fact, the fundamentals of healthy communication are simple to understand and not difficult to implement. For most, it becomes a matter of recognizing self-defeating communication habits and then replacing them with healthier, more productive patterns.

I will write more about this over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, enjoy this clever communication video: “It’s Not about the Nail.”

From HDD: Thank you for reading this “Word.” If you would like to share this, please feel free to forward. If you would like to add an email address, please let me know. Your email will not be used for any other purpose.