In our modern and very technical society, we have automated reminders of where we're at.
You press a button on your land-line (telephone) and it will tell you 'no messages'. You go to withdraw some money from the automated teller machine and the screen will tell you the transaction was cancelled because of the lack of funds, and it goes on.
We operate in an automated, disconnected manner. There is no conversation, there is no catching up with news from work, home, hunting trips and so on. We engage with robots, no human contact.
Some will say, 'I get things done quickly, there was no argument, or there was no interruptions' or provide some other lame explanation. We all find that when the power source is compromised or cut, everything comes to a grinding halt. If we are in one of the stores, the door is locked automatically and we stand around until the power comes back on. If we are at work, the lights go out and the computer is shut down.
There is even an office language that is used in our daily engagements that mom and dad and especially our grandparents do not understand. We even talk in acronyms: I'll be by ASAP.
I've seen and learned that a good communication link allows the recipient of instructions to complete the task in safety and efficiency.
This brings the memory of working underground into light. I recall being told that the development crew will be busy in my normal workplace at the 1130 meter level so I was sent to the 250 meter level and was reminded that some of the truckers will push over-sized muck through the grizzly, so you may need to make sure you have enough powder (dynamite) in the powder magazine to last at least for half of your shift. Sure enough, I was blasting more than I was crushing.
Our listening skills are at their peak if we do not want to be the reason for hold-ups or misunderstandings. This is also good reasoning in not arguing your way through an explanation.
Today we have a choice of being as automated as the machines and computers, or we can engage in making those around us know that we are being open, welcoming and inclusive. That, although there are differences in thoughts and opinions, we are still able to work together for a common cause.