I'm making myself write something here; any creative impulses I might possess have been methodically stifled beneath a barrage of entertaining media. Thank god for Stevie Wonder.
In recent years I've come to develop a certain love-hate relationship with the written word, and in point of fact the entirety of human communication. Bear with me for a moment; all things considered, communication (verbal and written forms especially) is pretty swanky. My irritation stems mainly from trying to communicate the idea in it's most perfect form to others in a smooth and efficient manner. Such attempts invariably end in failure from the first fricative uttered; with the limitations of current information exchange methods, no human being seems capable of interpreting the ideas of another in the exact method intended. While I'm all for human individuality and the impulsive creativity of the unconventional zeitgeist, I find this inherent inability to accurately communicate absolutely maddening.
For example: I turn to a trusted compatriot, intending to regale them with but the latest tale in an admittedly extensive list of tomfoolery and attempted shenanigans. I mention sighting a stray dog; immediately, my accomplice has flashes of perhaps ten to fifteen canines he's observed in his lifetime, likely in order of personal importance. Already, we've deviated from my original account (since it's highly unlikely the dog I mention is the dog he visualizes.) Next, I elaborate further on the setting and mention that this errant mongrel was sighted on a city sidewalk. Eyes flashing and fulgent in the setting sun, my oh-so attentive listener instantly conjures up a wide variety of images of suburban streetscapes pulled directly from a lifetime spent straying across said cityscapes. None of these images is the one I've mentioned; the wrong street compounded with the wrong subject means we're already 0 for 2, and I haven't even gotten to the gorillas. By the time the sordid tale is told, my attentive listener has already surrounded himself with a fairytale fantasy of suburban stupefaction that is utterly unrelated to whatever preposterous point I had foolishly set out to convey.
Anyway.
Tried playing City of Heroes; pretty awesome for the first few levels, but grinding in any form these days is an instant fun-killer. Still, one shining ray of hope emerged from the inimitable tedium: the hottest harbinger since the big man himself, a brilliant bolt of badass sraight outta the Nile Delta, here to kick ass and chew bubblegum!
The newest superhero to hit the mean streets of Paragon City: Guns N' Moses!
Cleanin' up crime, Old Testament style!
Suddenly, nuns! Thousands of them!
In recent years I've come to develop a certain love-hate relationship with the written word, and in point of fact the entirety of human communication. Bear with me for a moment; all things considered, communication (verbal and written forms especially) is pretty swanky. My irritation stems mainly from trying to communicate the idea in it's most perfect form to others in a smooth and efficient manner. Such attempts invariably end in failure from the first fricative uttered; with the limitations of current information exchange methods, no human being seems capable of interpreting the ideas of another in the exact method intended. While I'm all for human individuality and the impulsive creativity of the unconventional zeitgeist, I find this inherent inability to accurately communicate absolutely maddening.
For example: I turn to a trusted compatriot, intending to regale them with but the latest tale in an admittedly extensive list of tomfoolery and attempted shenanigans. I mention sighting a stray dog; immediately, my accomplice has flashes of perhaps ten to fifteen canines he's observed in his lifetime, likely in order of personal importance. Already, we've deviated from my original account (since it's highly unlikely the dog I mention is the dog he visualizes.) Next, I elaborate further on the setting and mention that this errant mongrel was sighted on a city sidewalk. Eyes flashing and fulgent in the setting sun, my oh-so attentive listener instantly conjures up a wide variety of images of suburban streetscapes pulled directly from a lifetime spent straying across said cityscapes. None of these images is the one I've mentioned; the wrong street compounded with the wrong subject means we're already 0 for 2, and I haven't even gotten to the gorillas. By the time the sordid tale is told, my attentive listener has already surrounded himself with a fairytale fantasy of suburban stupefaction that is utterly unrelated to whatever preposterous point I had foolishly set out to convey.
Anyway.
Tried playing City of Heroes; pretty awesome for the first few levels, but grinding in any form these days is an instant fun-killer. Still, one shining ray of hope emerged from the inimitable tedium: the hottest harbinger since the big man himself, a brilliant bolt of badass sraight outta the Nile Delta, here to kick ass and chew bubblegum!
The newest superhero to hit the mean streets of Paragon City: Guns N' Moses!
Cleanin' up crime, Old Testament style!
Suddenly, nuns! Thousands of them!
9:45 AM |
Category: |
3
comments
Comments (3)
You are too much of a perfectionist to enjoy anything aren't you XD, and I know while you say this mostly in a joking manner it is a serious problem for you. Nothing in life can be absolute or perfect. Even our vision is limited to the spectrums we can interpret and the denisty of rod and cone cells for clarity which sadly enough can not even match a high end camera over a 3x5 inch area. It is the whole reason we have the Gestalt aspect of our brains to fill in the blanks and ascertin where an unfinished sentence or a fractured picture was going if it were to be complete. The point is not to get the idea perfetly across but to increase the accuracy and precision of the communication so that the other person gets a better and better idea about the origianl idea so what if they can not get the 'exact representation' of the fact that you saw a dog on the street, it is better approximation then 45 camels on a canal, and if you work towards it they will come closer and closer to an accurate veiw of your perception even if it is not perfect it tends towrds it. And instead of seeing it as a limitation of communication see it as a daily challenge a show of skill, talent, ingenuity and have a great feeling of personal accomlishment if you are able to express an idea well and an intresting format much like a runner can feel they accomplished something great if they can run a 100 meters in under 10 seconds it is not 0 seconds with instatneous travel but the closer the better.
And again I know that you were saying this more jokingly but like I said I think this is a serious thing for you. We're finite beings on an infinite plane mo matter what level of things we can see, accomplish, or know it is always not complete, get over it.
The only thing I must say is Veiw?... Me.... CHECK SPELLING... Other than that I am prone to agree with you. Alex, you need to realize that communication is not about perfect on the first shot. Nothing is. But if I mention things like "I see a foot" I can conjure the images that I wish due to the pre-established code that our group adheres to... Oh... and you ain't gotta clue what I'm talking about because you were in Istanbul...
Hint: foot=Sean Connery
Your observations of the limitations of communication is obviously true. My question is: why is it important that there be "perfect" communication? Especially if the details ("A" dog vs "the" dog) do not enhance the "ideal" or the point of one's conversation? Perhaps man's yearning for "perfect communication" is but to alleviate the sense of isolation or loneliness?
maybe that is why i have always thought of "perfect communication" as "commUNION". I think such Communication is not in the details or perfection of words but in the joining of hearts and spirit - which is, of course, beyond the capacity or realm of words.