"Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing." ~  Rollo May

We communicate with people on a daily basis in different forms. The way we communicate with a co-worker is different then how we communicate with a family member, or doctor, or even someone we feel is special. It is the only way we can build any sort of relationship with someone. So much can be said about a person based on how they communicate with another person, you can see what they value, what they are passionate or dispassionate about. Communication is one of the ways one builds and earns trust and also a way one can lose that trust/respect. The best way of understanding a person is talking with them communicating emotions, thoughts, desires. From that understanding comes intimacy and valuing one another. Intimacy is not specifically sexual intimacy, though there is a sense of intimacy there it is a different type; maybe a blog for another day.

Communication can relay so many different messages and not just what is being said but how it’s being said, words that are chosen, even non-verbal cues can relay a different message than the words themselves. Ever watch a person while they lie and see how they act differently as opposed to telling the truth. How about looking into the eyes of someone you love while they say those words to you as opposed to mom saying them. There is a huge difference in the meaning and how each are interpreted. But regardless of who is communicating, or what their message is there is a sense of value and understanding. When you communicate emotions/feelings, thoughts etc. you are letting someone into your “world” whether it is happy and cheerful or dark and bitter.

Just the other day, I had a conversation with someone about passions being the driving force in life and how those passions can communicate our darkest thoughts. Communication can help us be stronger in different situations because we talk about the trials and struggles we deal with on a daily basis. Some of us feel as though we have been to Hell and back more times than we can count (yes I feel as though I have). But talking about them tapping into those emotions to communicate and create something like art, music, or a piece of writing creates a strength we didn’t know we have. Even more so when we tap into that experience and let someone else in on the pain you’ve felt. It makes you all the more vulnerable to them. While that is a scary thought; me being a person who is driven by emotions and communication am waiting for that person I can let in, that person I can reveal the darkest corners too. But that too is a subject for another post.