CUT THE NOISES WHEN ANGRY

"Eliminate the adjectives and you will get the facts." – [Harper Lee, ‘To kill a mockingbird’].

Once I read a very interesting description of a test (or a game) to be performed by two persons:

• The first person must have the eyes folded and would be responsible for shooting a gun.
• The second one would be responsible for giving the proper instructions so the first can hit the target.
• Then, after a determined time frame both change the roles.

Note: This test can also be performed without guns, the eyefolded person walking from A to B and the other one giving the proper instructions so the first one can reach the target spot.

It seems very simple, isn't it?

Well, the tests made with a group of people were surprising. The anger of the people involved emerged rapidly and the fights came inevitable, mostly because of the inappropriate language used by them ("hey, you dull, I have said just a little to the left and you have turned the gun too much, you fool"). This can be called as "noise" in the communication.

When there are noises, one tends to be distracted, even loosing the ability to listen to the speaker and to keep rational.

In this way, it is important in our relationships to cut all the noises due to get the core information of the communication.

One of the words used in Japanese language that means "to eliminate" is "HABUKU" ( 省く). But there is another reading (therefore another meaning as well) to this ideogram: "KAERIMIRU" ("look back", in the sense of "reflect upon oneself").

Well, the original concept of this ideogram was life (above) combined with the eye (below). Afterwards, the concept was changed to the image of an eyebrow above the eye because adorning the eyebrow was believed to increase the mystical power of seeing. In those ancient time, turn around with eyebrows properly adorned (therefore using this mystical power) fitted just well this preliminary kanji's meaning "looking around carefully". However, they realized that by doing this one should took off all the things that must be thrown away and this perception originated the meaning "to eliminate".

I can not help by thinking that it is a key action to ELIMINATE in order to GET the point. Maybe here lays the start point to pursuit a good communication!

Less is more, definitely.