tcepsa: (Computation Suspended)
tcepsa ([personal profile] tcepsa) wrote2008-01-23 03:39 pm

On Feeling Understood

Brief thoughts here, possibly elaborated later or in response to comments if they jar something loose in my mind...

The feeling that I am understood doesn't happen as a direct result of me talking.

It happens as a direct result of someone else talking.

Their talking can be in response to something that I've just said or done, or it can be from someone that I've never met before in my life. It can be from someone that I still haven't met, for example someone on TV or the radio.

Essentially, I feel like someone understands me (or would understand me, which currently seems like a very fine hair to split) when they say the same thing about something that I would say about that something.

If this is how it works for most people, then I think I may have just grokked an important chunk of persuasive speaking, one with vaguely disturbing implications that I'll hopefully poke more at later.