On the Preparation of Loving Communication
There's an undercurrent, a blanket expectation, that if someone says something in front of you that's the least bit negative, that its meant to be a grating release of their emotions or something perceived as worthless. If they say it directly to you, this undercurrent drives an instant reaction of defensiveness, because it feels like an attack. But what if it's said with an expectation of objective consideration, even without the pressure of attack to drive it into the open? What if it's only of moderate concern by the speaker? I've heard people say that nobody takes things objectively, but that seems to just be another lesson to keep people from doing so. Analysis can be fatiguing and troubling to the soul, but this kind of communication with each other is a love rarely given, which is a shame. Even if it's hard, a little explanation about intentionality could open the line to communicate very - just highly! - useful information to us when we need it the most...