Hope in bubbles

Today's discussion in class was regarding some of the fundamental principles of communication. One of those that struck me is what I'll call "the bubble principle." Essentially, every one of us is walking around inside a bubble that colors how we view our world. That bubble is made up of our past, our current perceptions, our thoughts about the future, our hopes, our feelings, memories of our fight with our roommate last night, if we had breakfast that morning, the list goes on. Our bubble is our filter through which reality is perceived. Everyone is always communicating not only from inside their own bubble, but also through the bubble of the person they are communicating with. Great communicators are aware of these bubbles, and take that into account while communicating, whether by offering information about their own bubble, trying to obtain information about the other persons bubble, or by simply acknowledging that the bubbles exist and act accordingly.

This "bubble principle" actually gives me great hope. Part of the reason I'm taking this class is because I believe myself to be a very inadequate communicator. But while I've never heard "the bubble principle" codified like this, I've been aware of it's effects for quite some time, and naturally take that into account while trying to communicate. I often find myself automatically volunteering information about my bubble while telling stories. If that is something that great communicators do already, then maybe I don't have as far to go as I thought.

Ephesians 4:18

One of the reasons I'm taking COMM150 is because of my intent to become a teacher. I've heard it said time and time again that a good teacher can communicate a concept in near infinite ways. While I know that I'm relatively good at communicating a concept in the way I understand it, I have great difficultly communicating that concept in any other format, much less in the "shotgun style" that really great teachers can do. We'll see if that class can help teach me to do that.

Today in class it hit me that that is one of the things I'm here to accomplish. As we were reading the scriptures in small groups, I found Ephesians 4:17-18:

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk...
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart...

Taken by itself, it's just an ordinary scripture. But if you invert it...

This I say, that ye henceforth walk as the covenant people walk...
Having the understanding enlightend, being reconciled to eternal life through the wisdom that is in them, because of the discernment of their heart.

I think that's one of the reasons I'm here. I'm here to learn how to better enlighten other's minds, and enlighten my own, that we may be better reconciled to eternal life.

So, this whole blogging thing...

As part of my COMM150 class this semester, we have an assignment to "continue the conversation," via some alternate form of communication (mostly Twitter or blogs or the like). Creative individual that I am, I really didn't feel like racking my brain for an entirely novel form of communication. Thus, this blog. Welcome.