Hoping to be in right-standing with everyone is synonymous with chasing after the wind. It’s not just difficult, it’s impossible. This is because everyone has their own version of events. We all understand/interpret things differently and we are all resolved to believe that our own version of the happenings around us is the most accurate. I remember once hearing an old colleague of mine say, “I am responsible for what I say, and you are responsible for what you understand.” After pondering what he said for a while, it became clear to me what the cross-applicability of it was. He may have meant that statement concerning just the words we say or hear, but it was clear that it is applicable to much more. It is equally applicable to the things we do and the things done to us, as well. It is applicable to anything we are capable of initiating and/or perceiving.
Think about it, concerning the things we perceive; I might say the exact same thing to 10 different people, but chances are that, all things being equal, they would neither interpret nor react in the exact same way. In like manner, I may act in the exact same way to 10 different people, but, again, chances are that, all things being equal, they would all interpret my actions in different ways. Of-course, I wouldn’t annul the possibility that some level of similarity might exist among some of the interpretations and/or responses to the words or actions.
Concerning the things we initiate; 10 different people might perform the exact same action, but chances are that, all things being equal, they all had different intentions and/or expectations when performing the action. Again, I won’t annul the possibility that there might be some level of intent similarities among all these different people.
In essence, it almost seems like we all have our own individual sub-worlds or realities. So what does this mean, then? I believe it means we should worry less about how people perceive or interpret our actions and/or words and, rather, just take responsibility for what the specific intention behind our words and/or actions are. Similarly, we should take responsibility for how we perceive and/or interpret peoples’ actions and/or words to us – realizing that what we assume may not always be the actual story. I believe a sense of objectivity should always exist and/or balance out whatever our perception and/or interpretation of what peoples’ actions and/or words to us are. Perhaps, it might be healthy to ask the other party, from time to time, what their actual intention behind an action might have been – especially if we are really unclear about it and/or bothered by it.
What do you think about this topic? Have you had a situation where you believe others might have misinterpreted your actions and/or words? Do you think there’s a chance you might often misinterpret other peoples’ words and/or actions to you?
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Experiences of journeying humans 