The Record Online

Fall 2001

Ultimate Communication

Today I talked on my cell phone. I emailed my mother…and called her too. I “instant messaged” my assistant. I put envelopes in the mail box. I read 20-30 emails and answered them by email, phone, and even jotted notes. I checked my voice mail, checked my schedule, called another president, wrote myself a note, talked with fellow “cooks” at Durley Camp ending the All-College Hike. I started that hike by shouting “Ready, Set, Go” to 300 students and read the logo on this year’s hike T-shirt.

I wrote a letter to victims in New York City, watched the TV news updates on that tragic event, and heard the speculation on who would be our allies in bringing justice. I surfed the web for quotes from Winston Churchill and the meaning of “feckless.”

I watched the weather radar. I published on the web, pictures of my friends taken Sunday at the Botanic Gardens, and even dropped off printed copies under their doors. I sat on a bench talking with faculty, students, and hugged my niece. I waved at students riding, running, and walking, listened while one read me his poem about Walkabout that sounded like a poem about our country and our college. I wore a Cat in the Hat hat that said, “Take me to your leader.” I began the day reading a devotional and praying to the Lord. I talked with my wife and even kissed her!

All of this is communication. How ironic that despite the increasingly more and more sophisticated tools available, it seems communication remains as much a challenge as it has ever been. We talk but are not heard. We write but are not understood. We listen but misinterpret. We act but send mixed messages. We look but don’t see. It is no news that communication is often a matter of decision, usually a decision about attitude. I have seen children and elderly communicate and be understood despite barriers of both verbal and body language. Usually it is in the context of love and trust. When people love and trust, it takes little to be understood and terrible tragedies are avoided. But when people hate and mistrust, all the communication skill, technology, and sophistication will be in vain.

This week, events in New York and Washington remind us of the tragic dearth of communication among peoples of our world. But that dearth sadly often also exists in our institutions, our friendships, and even in our families. The solution cannot be only an increase of skill and effort as important as these may be. The solution can only arise from changes of attitude as we make decisions to love and trust. But those decisions largely exceed our human ability to perform. They can occur because our heavenly Father has communicated His love to us in the gift of his Son. As we receive this gift, the power of His Holy Spirit enables us to love and trust. Then true communication begins.

Last updated: November 1, 2001