I've noticed most misunderstanding begins with a misconception, and a breach in communication. The number "9" can be misread if two individuals stand in opposite positions. I try as much to avoid misunderstanding, but that itself is inevitable. I have had misunderstandings with a few of my friends over a misinterpreted message, in an attempt to protect their ego, it leads to a heated argument and rant not until I explain the context and intentions of my message do they understand my intent.
Most misunderstandings are not resolved during heated arguments. No one gets to listen when they're hurt, all they want to do at that moment is vent their frustrations and not to listen. This is why it's advised that one party remains calm.
I've had a lot of misunderstandings with friends in the past and this has helped me learn faster to understand. I understand the consequences of rant and venting anger during misunderstanding can leave an unerasable scar. So it's better to remain calm and understand one's personality. Once I had a misunderstanding with a friend who hardly stays at home, until I realized he's the kind of guy who likes visitation. I don't derive joy in visiting people too frequently but he does. The more misunderstanding I had with friends brought me closer to understanding people better.
Misunderstanding can't be avoided, we are different people and so is our personalities, but we can choose to understand instead of watering ideas in our head. To conquer misunderstanding, we must learn
- Empathy
- Be Slow in judgment
- Understand people's personalities
- Ask questions
The more the misunderstanding I had in the past, the faster it was to understand people and this had been my journey of growth.