TransMission

I've spent considerable time of late on the notion of how ideas are transmitted. Humans spend much time on attempting to communicate ideas with one another, only to realize the frustrations that exist in transmitting ideas. To each person and each idea, the threshold of effectiveness is going to be different. I prefer written word, though I understand that it is limited in scope by the limitation of the words which comprise my ideas. Hence the challenge and, thereby, my passion for the written word. It isn't the easiest means, but because I strive to convey my ideas, I choose this medium often for getting my ideas pushed out there to the masses.

It really got me thinking though: is writing the overall most effective means of transmitting ideas. Part of the problem I encountered is the idea that the content of writing is often intangible. It provides a means for an individual to parse over the data and process it themselves, but what if they lack imagination or otherwise aren't as intuitive as the intended audience of the author? Furthermore, authors are limited by their vocabulary, rhetoric and ability to convey emotion and experience. Words are cold and dead by default, only to be pumped with life by one who can carefully craft them in a proper sequence.

The next step up in terms of what I deem potential effectiveness comes from the oral transmission of ideas. While it still has many of the shortcomings of writing, it avoids the distance between the origin and the intended receiver of the idea. This, however, is a catch-22. The benefit of a conversation is that it is more dynamic than written word. A writer must put forth much more consideration for the development of the idea, and therefore, is bound to be didactic in some regard. A conversation can evolve on the spot, but requires a quick mind by the owner of the idea. In that respect, conversation is more fluid in terms of conveying an idea. There is, however, a short-coming with this notion. People are often driven by the notion of their Ego, and will avoid at all costs being told what to think. One runs the risk in direct conversation of feeling imposed upon by this new notion and may safeguard their mind rather than being considerate. That is one advantage that writing has, in that the intended audience has optionally chosen to pick up the book. At that point, the author has a 1-up on the conversationalist in that the reader is more akin to pick up on ideas of the author that he or she may be defensive about in raw conversation.

This train-of-thought led me to a third, more promising notion. The idea of leading by example. I thought of the old cliche, "actions speak louder than words." Now maybe volume doesn't correlate to effectiveness and maybe it does, but that is not what I am debating here. Rather, I came to the notion that living your life by the ideas you want others to exhibit is the most promising of all methods for effective idea transmission. If you embody the ideas which you wish to convey in another, they not only resonate stronger with the degree to which you take it seriously and believe it yourself, but also allow others to passively observe those ideas, actionable or subtle. As I was talking about before, people inherently want to derive ideas and notions for themselves, rather than be instructed on how to think or act. Therefore, embodying an idea that another observes proves to be the most effective means of getting that notion implemented. It acts on a contagious and subconscious level. Once the subconscious subverts the Ego, there is a direct correlation to the propensity for integration of that idea.

Obviously this is not intended as the be-all end-all best-of-the-best means for transmitting ideas, but rather what I find it to be the most effective if applicable. Leading by example allows one to realize and prioritize what ideas and values are really worth promoting. The rest will fall by the wayside, arising as necessary. Additionally, people are curious creatures. One is bound to be observed in a social situation acting or rather, being who they are. Observable ideas therefore are important to consider. Children especially pay close attention to what is going on in this otherwise chaotic and confusing world, as they attempt to piece together a means for successful living. This is why the youth are more impressionable. They are not set in there ways and they spend much time observing those around them. They pick up on tendencies, beliefs, and habits very quickly as they see repeated occurrences of such.

It brings me back to the quote I started my previous post with, which I will re-iterate here:

"I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.”
Aldous Huxley - Point Counter Point

This is the perfect example of how I believe to best implement ideas, and thereby, change. Work on finding what you value, what you believe in. Live by those ideals, promote them, but know that people are more likely to follow in your proverbial footsteps by watching you exemplify those notions, rather than preach them.