Day 5 - 203 -- Failed Communication

Why do people say things to try to appease someone? It isn't that they really believe what they're saying, but for some reason they think the recipient is naive enough to find it truthful. Such conversations mess with any hope of developing trust for future communications or actions. If one side of a conversation is speaking honestly, it is difficult to understand why the other side would not. It has something to do with perception filters on both sides. Perhaps the one telling the untruth doesn't want to disappoint someone or maybe they just don't want to be confrontational. If the latter, in many cases they behave in a passive-aggressive fashion -- tell you what they think you want to hear and then do what they jolly well feel like when you aren't looking. I've encountered this many times in my life and have always had difficulty understanding this form of 'communication.' As a friend once told me, I think too logically and this may be the cause of my inability to understand what others may do -- they may be working from an illogical place. <smile>. 

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure that any side of a conversation may be fully aware of their motivations. In some cases, they may just want to move on with their task and want the other party to leave. They may not be giving the exchange their full attention leading to unexpected responses in the eyes and ears of the other person. That unequal vesting in the conversation can result in major misunderstanding in the moment or down the road. Why does it happen? There are too many reasons -- fear, fatigue, preoccupation, worry, anxiety and so many, many more. 

A perfect song for today's pondering is shared here. Often feelings are trampled on in such exchanges, as these lyrics clearly outline. Enjoy! 

I've Seen that Movie, too -- Elton John