Ghosts

I do not believe in ghosts. Some people do, but not me. I do, however, believe in things that go "bump in the night" simply because there is a logical explanation for that may range from the pet cat jumping up on the furniture or something that you thought was put away securely turns out not to be and ends up tipping over. Despite that, if pressed, I will concede that there is a particular kind of ghost that does exist and is not shy about making its presence felt regardless of the circumstance or time of day. These are ghosts that dwell in the world of communication, particularly when it involves the interaction of two people.

Specifically, I am referring to those moments when one person misinterprets another person's message. In these cases, the misinterpretation is so far off the mark that the initially sender of the message is taken aback at the response they receive simply because it is unexpected and far afield of what they said. Here is an example: Person One: "I can't believe the boss is making us work overtime." Person Two: "Of course the boss can make us work overtime. They have the authority." The first person was actually saying they do not understand the reason behind the boss' decision. The ghost in this exchange is found in how much Person Two has not understood the meaning of what Person One said.

Traditional ghosts illicit fear and nervousness. Communication ghosts illicit frustration and friction. They are the product of one person not saying things as clearly as they might and another person not making the effort to truly understand what is being said to them. The result is an exchange that is off-base from the get-go. Unlike Casper, they are not friendly ghosts. As beings that communication non-stop, we all must be sensitive to the role we play in creating these unwanted creatures that not only go "bump," but can do lasting harm.