COMMUNICATION: THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS – BASIL SPRINGER COLUMN

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” - Ephesians 4:29

As human beings we have a responsibility to communicate wholesome thoughts for the betterment of all.

Let us focus in turn on communication with God, the supreme being; school, where we get our formal education; family, the nucleus of society; business, where we earn our living and provide for our pension; and sport and leisure, where we get necessary exercise and socialization.

The communication loop is reverently initiated by prayer from human beings to God, which conditions the mind. Prayer is processed in an environment, the boundaries of which encompass the will of God. Meditation provides a listening environment which facilitates the closure of the communication loop. This communication practice with God is sustainable because of an associated source of perfect love. Our job is to continue on the road to happiness by diligently executing the message by riding in the vehicle of love right here on earth.

Daily global media reports convey a sad state of the planet not only in the context of the physical devastation as a result of unsustainable practices and climate change, but also the damage done to human beings by human beings through antisocial behavior manifested in war and the lives lost through domestic violence, gang warfare and drug-related crimes.

Politicians seem to be helpless in terms of finding a sustainable solution.

The solution is conceptually very simple but not easy to implement. My premise is that from birth to age six, a child’s brain is like a sponge. Whatever is communicated to it will be absorbed.

In today’s world we have children bringing up children, the absence of strong personal parental guidance systems because both parents are working, as well as an increasing number of single-parent families. The result is that children are being exposed to a weak values, morals and ethics system.

Sadly, the horse has already bolted. The solutions are to introduce a compulsory disciplined rehabilitative environment at school-leaving age before they are released on society. Simultaneously, attention must be paid to the quality of teachers at the elementary and primary school levels to ensure that more wholesome talk prevails.

The family unit is the building block of society. Many relationships must be nourished between parents, children and grandchildren. The secret is to communicate to avoid conflict between the parties.

Businesses include all public, private and civil society entities which offer goods and services to the public. The key elements of a business are management, goods/services, staff and customers.

Efficient communication systems (1) within management; (2) between management and staff; (3) between management and customers; (4) within staff; and (5) between staff and customers are paramount to successful relationships and hence successful businesses.

Over the past two months, we have been fed with a dose of 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup from Australia and this has merged seamlessly into FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, featuring 32 countries.

Sports teaches us many things, including fair play and the ability to rebound from disappointment.

In contrast to 1950, when we had to listen to cricket commentary from Lord’s Cricket Ground on a pre-transistor radio receiver, today we can communicate (audio and visual) on our mobile devices or televisions. Communication technology has brought these sporting messages into the palm of our hands.

Communication is indeed the basis for life. Let’s leverage it for the sake of humanity.