Being Relational & Purposeful in a non-relational world
Being relational in a very non-relational world can be difficult. Our world has succumbed to communication through electronic communication, the new norm. What happened to the old relational world, where we could sit and converse face to face without a cell phone in that space? It was heartbreaking to see a family the other day out to eat, and they were all staring at their phones, and the relational piece was missing; there was no communication, just eating and looking at what’s going on with the world today, whether it be news or social media. What happened to the sit-down conversations at the table?
Communication makes relationships in any aspect work, in getting to know one another, setting boundaries, learning, and all aspects of our lives. Without communication, there are no relationships. This is where we must communicate purposefully with the people in our lives, communities, and workspaces. Society in this season has made everyone so comfortable with impersonal communication. We texted, Zoomed, and spoke on the phone, but when was the last time we sat down, listened, and communicated about what was happening and today's needs? There are times and places for those types of communication. Still, society today has made it an excuse not to be personal or purposeful with their communication on an individual level. Society has grown so comfortable with having disputes online and ending it with that; nobody sits face to face and talks things out anymore, so they miss out totally on the deep communication and message that can come from it being in person.
We need to rise out of this and become personal and purposeful. There are so many needs that are right in our very own communities that nobody speaks of because it causes discomfort. I work for a trafficking ministry, and my fantastic co-worker and boss are very purposeful with the message and the needs of what needs to be done to change the perspectives and viewpoints on human trafficking and educate the communities on what can be done. It also has in-person events to speak of the need for that organization to flourish and continue to be personal in their daily lives. Communicating the needs raises awareness of what needs to be done, not only in businesses but also in our lives. Without open communication and boundaries, we cannot expect others to know what is right or wrong in what we will tolerate, which leads to miscommunication, and these days, once miscommunication happens, the communication stops altogether; this truly baffles me. We were born to be relational people.
In closing with this short article, we need to start being more personal with our communication, set up a space where communication can be done face to face, and watch how much things improve in work and personal relationships. Society wants us to stay glued to our electronics, but it is time to get back to where we make communication more personable in our relationships and business. Let’s get personal people and start being purposeful with our voices and our surrounding communities. Communication is truly the key.
It's time to simplify our approach to communication. In a world that thrives on. s bring it back to the basics. Communicate, relate, educate. Be intentional in your interactions in your personal life and with those around you. It’s not about mastering; it's about making space for personal communication. And that's something we can all do in a complex strategy.
