Today is June 22, 2005
A Great Day for Recovery!
INDIVIDUALITY
"You'll never really know what I mean and I'll never really know exactly what you mean."
--Mike Nichols
There is a certain loneliness in life with which we must all live; perhaps this is the price of individuality. I am not always sure that I know what I am feeling or thinking and so I know I cannot be absolutely sure of what you are feeling or thinking. Today when I say "I know how you feel", it is with this reservation.
Another problem I face daily is finding words to express what I feel -- language seems so inadequate. Words, although bridges to meaning, are often barriers to understanding. What I mean by what I say is often misunderstood.
This awareness provides me with the stimulus to be more precise, explicit and creative in my methods of communication and understanding. Today I consider more seriously what the other person is trying to say, rather than just listening to the words. Because I am sensitive to my difficulties in being understood, I am becoming patient with my neighbor.
Teach us never to become victims of our language.