What We See

There was a story about a couple who went to Pakistan for a tour. While they were there, they wanted to visit the famous camel market but they couldn't speak the local language and the cab driver didn't understand English. After failing to make the driver understand where they wanted to go, the wife decided to draw a camel and showed it to the driver. Upon seeing it, the driver nodded his head and drove them to their destination. Soon, they arrived at a chicken market and the couple realised that the driver had misunderstood the wife's drawing. The husband decided to draw another camel and showed it to the driver again. And again the driver nodded as if he really understood what the husband drew. Not long later, they were nowhere near the camel market but arrived at a bird market instead.

So what is the moral of the story? Art is just as important as any other subjects? It's always good to learn a third language? Nay, it's none of the above. The story shows that sometimes what we see is not necessary the same as what another sees. To the couple, they believed that they had drawn a camel but to the driver he believed that what he saw was first a chicken and later a bird. Both parties were looking at the same drawing, so who was right? Well, both parties were correct as they had interpreted the drawings in their own ways based on their own understanding of the animals.

We have all come across situations whereby we were frustrated when our friends or loved ones didn't seem to understand or worse misunderstand what we were trying to convey to them or whereby we were puzzled by their anger when we did what we thought was what they wanted. Well, the truth is, most of the time they didn't really know what we wanted or how we felt neither do we really understood what they wanted or what their feelings were. We tend to assume that we understand how our friends and loved ones felt and vice versa. This assumption can sometimes lead to misunderstanding or even argument that turns relationship sour. Thus, the best policy is still to be honest.

Never assume that you know how the person feels or what the person wants just because you are a close friend or a caring sibling. Let the person know how you truly feel or what you really know or not know and offer a listening ear if he/she is ready to share. Though it isn't easy or even embarrassing to tell your close ones that you don't really understand what they are going through or what is it that they really want, it's definitely better than to pretend that you do and to hurt them even more later on.

Be truthful and your loved ones will appreciate you more. Remember, what you see or believe might not be the same as what another person sees or believes.