Coming face to face

Connecting with people is never easy. It’s a gift, a skill, a knowledge, an art.

Some people likes to talk as well as to listen. Some just listen, only to voice out at the right time. Some never listen at all. Which one is the best? It depends on the content of the conversation as well as to whom one is talking to.

During my stay in Italy, I have the privilege to be invited to numerous family dinners. Greetings are exchanged heartily. The parents interact with their children with ease. The children discuss issues with their parents confidently. Every gathering has been filled with communication.

In contrast, those relatives in Singapore who visit us every year merely sit down on the sofa gazing at the tv. For each question, they deliver a one-word reply mechanically. Nothing more, nothing less. It never even strike their mind to inquire about the elders’ health. So why bother turning up?
Even in a friend’s gathering, some people are withdrawn before their arrival. They are oblivious to the surrounding, engrossing in their own world and checking their mobile phone constantly for SMS. They are not being shy. They just do not have a clue what to say or how to relate to others. And again that question: Why bother turning up?

As a matter of fact, knowing how to communicate with people, what to say or how much to listen, are a part of life. Associating too much with computers tempers one’s interpersonal skills. One becomes more secluded and take less interest in others. As Elton John’s song goes: “It’s sad, so sad, it’s a sad sad situation.” The new generation knows how to deal with a computer but does not know how to connect with one another.