I am Miss communication and I hate miscommunication! (Ha! My jokes are improving by the day!) Misunderstanding, misconception, mistaking... (This guy who created all these words is a big male chauvinist. *Mental note to self to bring this up again later!!*) Everything happens because of miscommunication.

Before I switch completely to the 'male bashing' mode, let me come back to the topic. Does talking/speaking solve all problems? Okay, I know that came out of the blue, but at least that made you say "Huh? Where is this article going?" But the blank article that I had posted (That's a mystery) that was the communication gap! Anyway, now I've started believing that, that empty space said a lot...

Diverting a bit... What causes communication gap? More importantly, why is there a communication gap almost everywhere? Does distance matter? Does age matter? What matters??? What aspects widen the communication gap... So many questions...

From experience I know what widens the gap - not saying what you feel. At least this is what I think... Thinking "If I say this, will the other person get me wrong?" This matters when we talk to strangers or to our boss ('Getting wrong' will mean 'job gone!!') Not to someone we know... Right?

Let me give an example, a fictitious one... say I have a friend who is being teased for say, body odour (she is not aware of it) behind her back and I go tell her nicely to be aware of it in future. Here, I'm just being vocal about my feelings. There is not exactly a communication gap. This friend may/may not take it in the right way... Still, communication could serve the purpose... (Key word 'could')

Going to a more serious issue. Where non-communication could matter - a lot... It is dark and I haven't yet arrived home. I'm in a meeting at the office. My mother is getting worried. And then I excuse myself and SMS "I'll be late". One note does the trick. There is a smile on her face "She's ok" and on mine "She knows I'm ok..." Here again, the gap is the distance, not communication as such...

Coming to the most dangerous reason... Ego. A really bizarre incident would explain that... I was planning to surprise a friend for her b'day (three weeks later, since we had exams on her bday) So I lied to her saying we were going for a movie and everyone was meeting at my place (No points for guessing the party was at my place!) But when she arrived she left in a huff because there was no movie! Now, it didn't end there. For three weeks she didn't speak (I didn't either... THAT'S communication gap!) And then she finally did break the silence after three weeks, but spoke as if nothing had happened... and then there was a permanent rift in our friendship... I still feel, probably one call from her or my side could have sorted out lots of things...

Anyway, does only talking bridge the communication gap? Na... Sometimes silence does too. Moreso, silent treatment does. One syllable answers, expressions which show something is wrong, not replying to phone calls... In other words letting the other person know something is wrong. But after this stage when both people in question are ready to talk, it's different!!

THE most dangerous thing is creating confusion... Acting as if you're normal with that person, but actually having loads of problems. And when asked, the person says you're imagining it or that you're crazy you have an inkling something is wrong! How to deal with this?? I'm still trying myself...

On a concluding note, I'd like to go back to that blank space/ empty post. Seeing that on my blog the next day gave me a shock! There was a gap... Which gave me the idea for this post!!! (that's the mystery... Who told you everything should have a meaning???)