Misunderstandings
Have said the wrong things right a thousand times
If I could just rewind, I see it in my mind
If I could turn back time, you’d still be mind.”
- J. B. Jovi
We all try so hard to say what’s on our minds, openly and honestly. Sometimes we aren’t successful. Sometimes we are.
What exactly causes misunderstandings? Why do we sometimes miss, when we’re trying so hard to aim right?
Is it that we operate on different wavelengths? That fear and distrust close off certain doors in our minds? That we aren’t empathic or considerate enough of each other?
Or is it something simpler than that? That it’s just an honest mistake?
Sigh. So many questions. So little answers.
I don’t have any answers. But I do know one thing. It’s tragic when decisions are based on misunderstandings.
A friend told me today that decisions shouldn’t be made on one incident alone either. So it’s all the sadder when a decision is made on one misunderstanding.
Does this mean that a misunderstanding should be totally cast aside and ignored? I don’t know, but like any mistake, a misunderstanding can be a source of growth.
Just as broken bones heal stronger, mistakes are life’s way of teaching us to be better.
I can’t explain what causes misunderstandings, but I know what to do about them. Take then for what they are: an understanding that wasn’t reached by both sides; an understanding that can be reached and achieved, if both sides try.
Not as a tragic decision to give up and stop the race; but as an opportunity to go farther than before.
But only if both sides try.
Have you ever been misunderstood?
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