you and i are sitting across a table talking to each other. i assume you hear me, and that my words mean to you what they mean to me. i assume you see the expressions on my face and understand their implications. i assume you are enjoying the hint of caramel tea we share. when i shake your hand goodbye, i assume you feel my warm hand and know that i am calm.
meanwhile, you can't hear me over the furnace, and you forgot to put your contacts in this morning, so my face is a blur. you burnt your tongue on the teas so it tastes like nothing, and you only notice how cold and sweaty your own hands are when we shake goodbye. you feel guilty because you were distracted throughout the conversation; i reminded you of a childhood friend and your mind kept traveling back to old stories.
therein lies one of the ironies of human experience: you and i are NEVER really having the same conversation. never. assumptions are dangerous because they keep us from listening and paying attention. granted, we'll never gain total understanding of one another. but we can do a better job of understanding more.
i hope we'll contemplate the power of assumption in our own lives and work, looking for places to assume less and observe more.
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