When Actions Matter Most
May 21, 2020•266 words
367
I've been at home for more than 2 months now. Life in the physical aspect has completely changed for me. I have not seen my friends, have not gone for a coffee. For my personal safety and for the safety of others. So, I've been communicating mostly with words.
I think that there are two main channels through which we communicate: words and actions. Words are more straightforward: they just communicate our thoughts. But they're also pretty ephemeral. 99% of the words we say don't have an immense impact on our lives. Some do, but most don't.
That is not the case with actions. They are usually much harder to decipher: in some cases they just can't convey the exact message. They leave a lot of space for interpretation. Especially when we don't know the other person very well.
All of our actions have been reduced to emails, messages, and calls. Which are all basically just words presented in different ways. There's no way to pat someone on the back, give them a gift, tow their car when it's broken etc. All of these amazing actions we could do to be better are now very hard to do. Most of them impossible.
And that's why actions are the most important things we can do right now. Whether it's sending a nice little gift in the mail, sweeping the sidewalk in front of our house, doing groceries for the elderly, or anything else, they all matter incredibly much. They're a sign of hope, a sign of togetherness, a sign of good.
Go on, show your good.