Why Can't He See What I See?
“Can you tell me what you see on the screen in front of you?” I asked the man that had called for help. “Is the Window that is open white with small yellow files in it?”
“No.. it has all kinds of stuff here … not yellow files? Oh there is a file from two years ago… a Blackbird S24… what is that doing here… I though that I deleted that….? No there are no yellow files… no wait… there they are way up at the top.” My friend described the scene with a slowness that nearly killed me…
“Arrrfgh!” I said to myself, “Helping people with computer problems via telephone is some kind of weird fun!”
For the next 20 minutes I listened and prodded the man’s visual ability. I came to realize that we were not looking at the same thing. Where I was on my screen was not where he was on his screen. Though we were on the same programs – we were miles apart in understanding. Add to that his broken description was different from my language. He would call it a little yellow “thingie”… which interpreted means an icon for a file folder. Then after about five minutes of that “thingie business” – he said… “Oh just a minute… when I put my glasses on it does look like a yellow file…what do you know!?”
“Arrrfgh!” I again said to myself.
Why can’t he see what I see? “Arrrfgh!”
As I reflect on this 20 minutes of struggle… I realize that it happens more often than not – to everyone. There’re “Arrrfgh!” moments for all of us.
A couple that I know have been having problems. They came to speak with me. Within 5 minutes I could hear “Arrrfgh!” from both of them. They were describing the same scene – in two different ways and suffering big time.
This kind of thing is not slowing either. There is now more “Arrrfgh!” in my life than before. I have “e-Arrrfgh!” – that‘s email Arrrfgh! I have a new one added to that – it is “fb-Arrrfgh!” – or FaceBook Arrrfgh! Things said or done in these two new arenas are almost impossible to correct… in that typed words lack facial expression and voice intonations. This causes huge problems added to a relationship. Then when people don’t check their spellllinggg – it drives me crazy too… but nearly as crazy as some get bent out of shape.
Back to my friend…
I realized that after 20 minutes of trying to help him – there was no way I could do it on the telephone. I said to him, “Look – this is a problem that will require cup of coffee and some time together on your computer. How does that sound to you?”
His reply was, “And a piece of cake too…”
In the next few days – maybe today – we will get together to solve this communication problem – by teaching this older man what a little yellow file looks like… and getting me to see what he sees when we switch the computer on.
It seems to me that many people could get by this problem of seeing what the other person is seeing – by getting together to simply talk.
More coffee and more cake… I think that I can handle that… “Arrrfgh!”
Now an even more profound thought… what does God see? Then when he tries to explain to me what I should do… and I just don’t get it. “Arrrfgh!” God said and then starts all over again. Hey God – how about a cup of coffee and some time together?
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
“No.. it has all kinds of stuff here … not yellow files? Oh there is a file from two years ago… a Blackbird S24… what is that doing here… I though that I deleted that….? No there are no yellow files… no wait… there they are way up at the top.” My friend described the scene with a slowness that nearly killed me…
“Arrrfgh!” I said to myself, “Helping people with computer problems via telephone is some kind of weird fun!”
For the next 20 minutes I listened and prodded the man’s visual ability. I came to realize that we were not looking at the same thing. Where I was on my screen was not where he was on his screen. Though we were on the same programs – we were miles apart in understanding. Add to that his broken description was different from my language. He would call it a little yellow “thingie”… which interpreted means an icon for a file folder. Then after about five minutes of that “thingie business” – he said… “Oh just a minute… when I put my glasses on it does look like a yellow file…what do you know!?”
“Arrrfgh!” I again said to myself.
Why can’t he see what I see? “Arrrfgh!”
As I reflect on this 20 minutes of struggle… I realize that it happens more often than not – to everyone. There’re “Arrrfgh!” moments for all of us.
A couple that I know have been having problems. They came to speak with me. Within 5 minutes I could hear “Arrrfgh!” from both of them. They were describing the same scene – in two different ways and suffering big time.
This kind of thing is not slowing either. There is now more “Arrrfgh!” in my life than before. I have “e-Arrrfgh!” – that‘s email Arrrfgh! I have a new one added to that – it is “fb-Arrrfgh!” – or FaceBook Arrrfgh! Things said or done in these two new arenas are almost impossible to correct… in that typed words lack facial expression and voice intonations. This causes huge problems added to a relationship. Then when people don’t check their spellllinggg – it drives me crazy too… but nearly as crazy as some get bent out of shape.
Back to my friend…
I realized that after 20 minutes of trying to help him – there was no way I could do it on the telephone. I said to him, “Look – this is a problem that will require cup of coffee and some time together on your computer. How does that sound to you?”
His reply was, “And a piece of cake too…”
In the next few days – maybe today – we will get together to solve this communication problem – by teaching this older man what a little yellow file looks like… and getting me to see what he sees when we switch the computer on.
It seems to me that many people could get by this problem of seeing what the other person is seeing – by getting together to simply talk.
More coffee and more cake… I think that I can handle that… “Arrrfgh!”
Now an even more profound thought… what does God see? Then when he tries to explain to me what I should do… and I just don’t get it. “Arrrfgh!” God said and then starts all over again. Hey God – how about a cup of coffee and some time together?
~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~
posted by Murray Lincoln at
Friday, October 12, 2007
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