I have had these two words on my license plate frame for about as long as I've been driving. I am continually amazed when people ask me what language it is, and what it means. When I say, "English!" I almost always receive dubious stares.
That the phrase is its own joke almost never dawns on people, once they do know what it means. I find this amusing. It also makes me a little sad.
Clarity is important. More important than most things. If we humans are to interact with one another in any meaningful way, we need to be clear in our communication. The parties communicating need to know that they've been understood in terms of what was intended, and what each party actually received. Much of the trouble in the world may be attributed to the confusion, misunderstanding and mistrust created when clarity is absent -- either accidentally, or intentionally.
As one popular radio talk show host often says, "I prefer clarity to agreement." He's quite right. It is much better that we understand one another clearly than it is to agree at any particular point. Clarity is the foundation for genuine communication, upon which agreement, or honest compromise, may be built -- or where irreconcilable differences may be acknowledged. Of course there are many barriers to clarity: language, culture, generational differences, world view, unrecognized presuppositions . . . the list could grow quite long. A critical ingredient in achieving clarity is "good will." If the participants are coming from a place of "good will," the barriers can be discovered, acknowledged, accounted for, and overcome.
That the phrase is its own joke almost never dawns on people, once they do know what it means. I find this amusing. It also makes me a little sad.
Clarity is important. More important than most things. If we humans are to interact with one another in any meaningful way, we need to be clear in our communication. The parties communicating need to know that they've been understood in terms of what was intended, and what each party actually received. Much of the trouble in the world may be attributed to the confusion, misunderstanding and mistrust created when clarity is absent -- either accidentally, or intentionally.
As one popular radio talk show host often says, "I prefer clarity to agreement." He's quite right. It is much better that we understand one another clearly than it is to agree at any particular point. Clarity is the foundation for genuine communication, upon which agreement, or honest compromise, may be built -- or where irreconcilable differences may be acknowledged. Of course there are many barriers to clarity: language, culture, generational differences, world view, unrecognized presuppositions . . . the list could grow quite long. A critical ingredient in achieving clarity is "good will." If the participants are coming from a place of "good will," the barriers can be discovered, acknowledged, accounted for, and overcome.
I've come to believe that any hope we have of knowing one another truly rests on the pursuit of clarity bathed in good will.
And so, the name of this site is the guiding principle for what I share here. I will attempt, as a first order thing, to avoid confusion, or manipulation, in the discussion of issues I offer for your consideration and comment.
1 comment:
Sounds and looks like a breath of fresh air! Look forward to more.
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