Noted.

Noted. November 10, 2013

Noted.

In all the years that my father signed my report card, he would simply put this one word down and sign.  No matter how lengthy the report from the teachers.  Sometimes complimentary, and sometimes pointing my weaknesses.

In all the years of dealing with a world full of friendship, betrayal, love, undermining, he had probably realized that most of what is said has little meaning.  Worse, his silence and expression that was pithy at best, suggested his contempt for speaking out what he wanted to say.  Probably, because no matter what he said, hardly anyone was even listening.  Everyone was busy processing the words, the expressions, the tone through a tape that they had created out of their own conditioning.  What he would say was never heard or understood anyway.  So, if the world was adept at making “meaning” out of lengthy prose, why waste breath?  Let them do it with complete silence or one word syllables.  Meanings would be made.  Judgments on speaker’s intentions and values passed.  Let the world revel in decoding brevity.

When one looks at the world around to see how completely self-obsessed world is in how it processes its own information, one realizes that the dilemma that my father faced was not unique.  What can you say when words will not be heard.  But processed.

When I sometimes meet people and listen to what they have to say, and how they react to whatever one has to say, I often feel like saying just one thing, and moving on.

Noted.
Featured photo credit: AlicePopkorn via photopin cc

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Browse Our Archives