Honoring the Past

In South Korea there is a tradition where families gather for the express purpose of honoring those who have come before them. Parents and their children, regardless of their age or even if they, too, are parents take time to pay tribute to grandparents, aunts and uncles who were once vibrant beings but have since died. Those who gather call by name those they knew in earlier times and briefly talk about them. They review what the persons were like. Tell stories about them. And even share those meant to them. This I is an honorable tradition and one that says much those dedicated to keeping it alive.

Understanding and remembering the past is vital to developing a better understanding of what is present. It helps place the challenges of the day in a better perspective thereby giving one insight into how best to deal or cope with them. This, then, helps transitioning into the future go more smoothly. As has been said many times before, so many current challenges revolve around many elements of communication. How well are people listening? How effective are various messages being put forward? Is there respect and openness in the way in which folks interact? These and other fundamental questions are as timely in the present as they were in the past.

For communicators to be successful, it helps tremendously if they have answers to those questions as they apply to past challenges that are similar to ones being faced today. Thus, honoring the past in the world of communication does not just mean remembering specific individuals. It also refers to appreciating strategies and actions once taken along with the justification or logic behind them. All of us are creatures of the past. Communication, as a unique act, also belongs to the past just as much as it does to the present. All of us would do well to take time to reflect on how and why people those before us connected the way they did. It might help us do a better job of it today.