I was having lunch with a good friend today and we talked about our kids and how they communicate. We talked about how communication has gotten so hard for us as a society. Our kids do not know how to communicate. Instead, when things get tough or they disagree with a friend, they “ghost” them or walk away or RUN away. No one wants to have REAL conversations anymore. No one wants to REALLY talk. Why? When did we become so afraid of real conversations?
I come from a family who talked about everything. EVERYTHING. My mom knew when I had my first kiss, my first everything. She knew everything. There were times when I OVERSHARED because although had lots of friends growing up, I wanted HER approval and HER advise and HER insight. I had a relationship with her that made it possible to 100% be me. I loved that about our relationship and I hope that my kids have that with me.
But when did talking about hard stuff get so taboo? When did real conversations become a thing of the past? Is it political? Is it because no one wants to dig deep? Is it not “cool” to be real? Our youth is living in a world where they do school from their beds, they can “hide” from people on social media and yet can also see what every one of their friends are doing and where they are at all times. It is definitely to their detriment that this is their reality and the fact that no one wants to talk about anything real is truly a shame.
Being real means sharing your feelings and I guess that’s just to vulnerable for people to handle. It’s too open. It’s not “cool.” It’s hard to understand for someone who is probably too open and honest (I have always said, “if you don’t want the truth, don’t ask my opinion.”) and who feels that they almost always have something to add to the conversation (good, bad and ugly) but how do we get this world to start talking about REAL stuff again? How do we teach others how to LISTEN and not just wait for the pause so you can say what’s on your mind? What about learning from each other and accepting people for their differences? When did we become so hard on each other?
Communication is essential to the human race. Think about it. Without some sort of communication (verbal, nonverbal, hand gestures, etc) don’t we cease to exist? Isn’t human interaction part of what makes the world go round and makes us a part of society? How are you communicating your needs? How are you getting your feelings heard and respected? Is it working for you? Is it something you need help with? Do you need to find your voice and learn how to effectively communicate? I truly believe everyone could stand to improve on their communication skills in one way or another and if only people took the time to do that so that they could have better relationships, better understanding and better quality of life, wouldn’t this world be a better place?