Tie Goes to the Runner

There are certain situations in life where particular rules apply. These rules are hard-fast and seemingly would take a decree from the All Mighty to be reversed. For instance, in baseball there is the famous "tie goes to the runner" rule where if a throw is caught by a fielder at a base the same time a runner's foot touches that base - a tie - then the runner is declared "safe." Another example applies to drivers. If a person is backing out of a driveway or parking space and runs into a passing vehicle that has moved directly into the backing car's path, then the driver of the vehicle backing out is in the wrong. End of discussion.

These are man-made decisions that do not even require witnesses. We accept them the same way we do gravity - what goes up must come down. There is no debating that one either. These hard-and-fast rules are designed to remove any grayness from specific incidences and thus prevent those involved from being stuck in some sort of endless debate. Perhaps this is just as well. When people argue perception, it is not easy deciding upon the one that is more correct than the other. So, unshakeable solutions have been put forth to head off a potential impasse. On the other hand, there is a level of frustration inherent in such a "solution" because sometimes the tie should go to the fielder or the driver backing out of their driveway is in the right.    

Communication has many gray patches and few, if any, black-and-white spots. In fact, in many ways it is a practice that is all about perception. Perhaps this is what it so frustrating at times; such a challenge for those who attempt to put forth a message that others will understand and even act on. Even in our day-to-day lives this grayness almost guarantees we will face moments when seemingly simple interactions go off-track due to the absence of hard-and-fast rules. This just goes to show how all of us must keep trying hard to communicate the best we can under any circumstance. We do not have the safety net that a predetermined solution provides.