Re: Direct conversation

Posted by Steve Smith on
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/Re-Direct-conversation-tp3137870p3142922.html

glen e. p. ropella produced:

I sympathize with your characterization of "_all_ communication as a
generalized koan" but I am not sure I agree on your followup point.  I'm
not sure the two examples (clear as possible vs vague as possible) are
reciprocal (complementary?).
    

My point was not that the mandate to be vague is the inverse of the
mandate to be clear (though I think one could make that argument easily
enough).  

upon re-reading, I find that you were quite clear in your statement and it was I who was vague in my understanding. 

My point was that, when communicating, sometimes it is useful
to be clear and sometimes it is useful to be vague.
  

I agree and would like to suggest (re-stating an earlier point) that a great deal of communication happens between lines,  in the negative space, what is not said explicitly.   I am not sure that is the same (intentionally) as "vague" but it is often received as "vague".  For example, requiring work and careful attention by the reader or the listener has some intrinsic value in many situations.  Vagueness (or more often terseness) can evoke active listening where elaborate attempts at clarity (my weakness) can bore and lull the listener/reader into passive listening or worse.

What I was objecting to was Russ' _conviction_ to a single communication
mandate.  I've found that it's counterproductive to commit oneself to a
sole approach to the world.  It's like Russ' conviction to clarity is a
willful decision to always hold a hammer so that everything around him
looks like a nail.  Single-minded convictions like that are always a red
flag for me.
  

I interpreted Russ' stridency as an attempt to get over the frustration of thinking Nick was deliberately ignoring his questions.  I think you are correct that most here (including Russ) are quite familiar with situations where "less is more".


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