JUST HIT SEND
Monday Dec. 23, 2013
In olden days – ah yes, longhand letters, wooden sailing ships and pony express – when writing, polishing and editing were calm, relaxed and un-pressured it must have been amazing, when many months or even a year later, a reply would make its way back across oceans and wilderness in reply to one sent many months before which demonstrated that the meaning intended was not the one received.
Correction could take years, if it could be corrected at all.
Today we use e-mail for our miss-communication.
We save so much time when these misunderstandings can be so swiftly conveyed.
When using he-mail and she-mail, if we dare call that communication, so easy to see how placement of a thought, or a comma location, can alter meaning received from meaning intended.
Reaction and response take only seconds at each turn whether across the street or half-way around earth.
Writing, sending, reading, reaction, reply – takes place in mere minutes, but the resulting disconnect or harm done is no less swift than if that note had languished in a ship’s belly for months while crossing oceans . . .
Every little decision impacts outcome. Big choices, ones we agonize over, often have short-lived consequences. Conversely, little choices, can be painfully consequential. Or hilarious.
Stunning – realizing potentially valuable important things will never happen because of one little choice. When it was our own word-choice, we own those consequences. If someone else got it twisted, well, we own that one too.
Little choices like saying NO instead of MAYBE. Maybe that was it. Or, YES instead of WHOA, or ARE YOU KIDDIN’?.
Press send, or pick up a phone?
Mark Kolke
200,344
column written/ published from Calgary
morning walk:-2C / 29F, warm wet day ahead, snow is softening as temperature rises – overcast and feeling humid, Gusta had a good run and I jogged along.
Comments Received:
Worst year of my life. Can't wait to draw a line under the worst year of my entire life: losing my wonderful Dad has really made me rethink my purpose here. If I hear someone tell me one more time "just get over it" I'm going to explode. How can people be so terribly cruel and insensitive? And since when does anyone who truly loved and cherished someone ever "get over" their death? Something to ponder as we approach what's meant to be the giving season ......., CK, ?
