Friday, February 11, 2022

On The Same Page (MY Eng #40)

This is part of a running series about English idioms - less about language, more about life itself. Previously, we covered 'missing the woods for the trees', 'the elephant in the room', 'practising what you preach', blowing hot and cold', 'no smoke without fire', 'one swallow does not make a summer', 'apples and oranges', 'cut to the chase', 'leave no stone unturned', 'that's the way the cookie crumbles', 'can't have your cake and eat it too', 'old is gold', 'putting the cart before the horse', 'mountain out of a molehill', 'pot calling the kettle black', 'bite the bullet', 'go the extra mile', 'silence is golden', 'the devil is in the details', 'sink or swim', 'once bitten twice shy', 'don't count your chickens before they hatch', 'don't put all your eggs into one basket', 'chicken and egg', 'walking on eggshells', 'flogging a dead horse', 'better late than never', 'storm in a teacup', 'between a rock and a hard place', 'darkest before dawn', 'empty vessels make the most noise', 'birds of a feather flock together', 'separate the wheat from the chaff', 'let sleeping dogs lies', 'open a can of worms', 'light at the end of the tunnel', 'trial and error', 'look before you leap' and 'lightning in a bottle'.

Communication, as the cliche goes, is a two-way street. Someone is talking, another is listening. Both take turns speaking their minds and understanding the other person's perspective. Sounds simple, enough?

Sadly, as the COVID pandemic forces us to be physically apart and keep part of our facial expressions hidden, it's harder than ever to get the traffic of information running smoothly. Virtual calls on Zoom just don't capture all the nuances in our tone and demeanour. Technical glitches spoil the mood. Fatigue sets in from staring at tiny boxes on the computer screen.

On one hand, the virtual space has eased accessibility between people from across the world. I get to attend more events than before due to lower entries of barrier, in terms of cost and time. I get to meet people that I would never had the opportunity meeting in normal circumstances.

Still, while the quantity of connections have increased, the quality has somewhat suffered. There's just not enough time to delve into deeper conversations. There's no beverage being served as social lubricants. There's an absence of ambience.

* * *

Trust and friendship is forged by shared interests and principles. To have a good working relationship with other people, it's important for everyone to be on the same page.

But nowadays, it's hard for people to even be reading the same book. Too many divergences, too many distractions. We no longer watch the same show on TV. Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max... It's so hard to catch the flavor of the week, these days.

Do I sound like an old coot on a rocking chair griping on and on about the younger generation and ills of modern technology? Not quite, because I feel that people at my age (and older) are as guilty of falling into this social fragmentation. As I've written before, birds of a feather flock together'. We only see eye to eye with people who think and live like us. We dismiss the struggles and experiences of others from a different place. We dismiss their differing opinions as misguided.

Do I sound like an old coot on a rocking chair griping on and on about the younger generation and ills of modern technology? Not quite, because I feel that people at my age (and older) are as guilty of falling into this social fragmentation. As I've written before, birds of a feather flock together'. We only see eye to eye with people who think and live like us. We dismiss the struggles and experiences of others from a different place. We dismiss their differing opinions as misguided.

* * *

Small talk matters. Strike out conversations with strangers. Be a patient listener.

Step out of our echo chambers. Stop sticking to sscript. Speak your mind.

Only when we open ourselves and keep an open mind, can we truly connect with others. Life is more interesting when we're on the same page - or at the very least, able to read pass the book of others beyond the front cover...

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