Communication-- Friend or Foe?

If you believe in Evolution, you will believe that species developed communication to help them in cooperation and survival. If you believe in Creation, you’ll know the story about the Tower of Babel, when God implemented different languages all at once so that mankind could no longer cooperate and build the tower.

But no matter what you believe, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of examples coming to your head of misunderstandings and communication problems that have caused difficult situations.

So I’m wondering why is it that sometimes it’s SO hard to say the right words to convey what we mean? Even when it’s something you believe with all your heart, sometimes we’re just clumsy, and end up causing more harm than good. Let me give you an example: a couple of days ago I was at the Zurich train station, and this guy was going around saying “Jesus Christ is Lord.” I was a bit surprised, and didn’t know what to think. On the one hand, I was happy and even encouraged that he believed it so much, that it permeated every fiber of his being and he didn’t care if he looked like a fool-- he just had to proclaim what he believed. On the other hand, he was more likely scaring people away and reinforcing the belief that all Christians are freaks.

Thinking about all of that also makes me think about communication between men and women. How can it be so hard sometimes? Why is it that the most important things are usually the hardest to say?

At least I can say I’m happy that sometimes, every once in a while, time is your friend, and what would’ve turned out a disaster if it had been said 7 years ago, turned into something wonderful when said now. ;)

Confusion

This is going to sound strange... but I am a firm believer in Law. Without laws, the world would be chaos and it would make our lives a lot more complicated.

However, the whole concept of law also implies that you can't follow it if you do not know it. Of course, it is your responsibility to find out and behave accordingly, but that implies that the authorities themselves know the law and can advise you.

The worse cases of law ignorance I have encountered, for some reason, always have to do with immigration. Example:

Last week I found out that as a Brazilian in Argentina, I could have gone to the immigration department HERE and requested residency, paying the total sum of $300 pesos. However, the Argentinian EMBASSY in Brazil had misinformed me and for that reason I believed that I had to 1) Go to Brazil, 2)Run around like a fool for a week gathering documents, 3) Pay the embassy fee of $850 pesos, to obtain that same residency.

This week I am even more confused. Once again, the immigration authorities of a certain country are not in agreement, the Embassy says one thing, the Foreign Department in the country says another. And I don't know who to believe. This time, what the Embassy says would make my life a WHOLE LOT easier... but what if I get to said country and the immigration authorities I will have to deal with upon arrival tell me something different?

I am confused. I have a headache. For once I don't know the language of said country well enough to call and yell at them directly (which may or may not help), and that annoys me even more. (yes, I'm a language snob, and I get annoyed at myself for knowing only four. If you think I'm ridiculous, stop reading my blog).

Conclusion:

I'm in a bad mood.