MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT...

WORDS....

Words are among the most dangerous powers a person can wield. When what you hear is not what the other person is trying to say—and conversely, when what you want to say is not what the other person is hearing—a conversation can quickly turn into a confrontation. The best precautions are first, not to take the words we hear literally, and second, not to trust your own interpretation of others' statements. If you are in a bad mood and looking for trouble, you may interpret a comment negatively, whereas if you are in a peaceful state of mind, your interpretation may be the opposite, resulting in an altogether different conversation. You cannot enter into anyone else's mind and know exactly how they are thinking at the moment, nor can you expect anyone else to know what is going on in the maze of your mind. You alone are responsible for your reactions to the words of others.

Imagine that every word has a hundred meanings. Accepting that your words have different meanings to different people will greatly improve your ability to communicate without conflict because that concept will force you to choose your words carefully.

You interpret words based on your mental and emotional state at the moment. Someone who loves you says something to support you in a way that gets you upset or hurt. Why? Because you took it one way and they meant it another. Isn't this common? End this by developing an objective view of words rather than a subjective interpretation of their meaning based on your personal state. If the speaker says something then the words should be taken according to the speakers emotional state, not the listener's. If the speaker is not developed enough to know how to speak correctly or respectfully (which is normally the case), then why should an objective listener get upset with their words? The listener often reacts unnecessarily because they listen with their own subjective opinion of what is said, not really hearing what is said, or meant by the speaker. It could be intended as neutral, but taken as intentionally attacking, and that is the listeners mistake.