Will you interpret my words in the way I hope?

And what do I mean?

Do our emotions evolve from our thoughts which, in turn, are based on our interpretations?

I recently watched a box set of The Affair  …..with my 23 year old son, which had a few moments bordering on uncomfortable but also prompted a few interesting conversations. If you have watched it, you will know that each episode is made of two parts -the first half is the series of events interpreted through the eyes/mind of the man and the second half is the same series of events interpreted by the woman ….and the two interpretations are very different but have the key events in common.

This prompted the question ‘which one do you think is the ‘real’ one?’ Our conclusion was that each version is the reality to the interpreter. You may have a different interpretation?

In our interactions with each other, we are all having our own individual thoughts which are based on how we interpret those interactions -verbal and non-verbal. This maybe highlights the importance of good communication and the danger of assumption.

Do the people we find easiest to connect with, have the most similar interpretations of our interactions with them, to us?  He/she just ‘gets’ me. Are a lot of feuds, arguments and  personal/business relationship breakdowns a result of misinterpretation? With better communication would the interpretation of those interactions become more accurate? I believe the answer to those questions is undoubtedly ‘Yes’.

If your interpretation of someone’s words or actions upset you, voicing how you feel creates the opportunity to check if your interpretation was how the someone wanted you to interpret their actions or words. Or you may get a ‘I didn’t mean it like that’.