“Houston, we have a problem…”
“Say again?”
Everybody knows the line, the now infamous line said during one of the most dire “oh shit” moments of the twentieth century. Burned into our minds with all the rest of the overused cliches. But, what many don’t know, is that line everyone quotes isn’t what was actually said. Also, it wasn’t who said it first. In fact, it was Astronaut Jack Swigert who delivered the misquoted line “Ok Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” When Mission Control asked for clarification, Astronaut Jim Lovell said “Uh, Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Even though I seriously doubt the astronauts aboard Apollo 13 on that fateful day were concerned with who said what first, they would certainly have been concerned with making sure the message was clear and concise.
Communication plays a key part in so many facets of life and it’s often not emphasized enough (sometimes not until disaster strikes). When communication goes badly, it can cause chaos, damage relationships, even destroy lives. On the other hand, when communication flows free and unobstructed, things run more smoothly and lives can be saved.
In regards to relationships, according to the experts the number one cause of divorce is lack of good communication between partners. When you’re in a committed romantic relationship, you should be communicating with your partner as much as possible. Not only about the big things (values, children, money, etc.) but about the little things as well. So often, little annoyances can become big issues when not discussed appropriately. Sometimes, your partner may not even be aware that it’s a problem unless you bring it up.
You see it frequently with children as well. A big reason children lash out is because they are incapable (whether due to their age or developement) of communicating their needs effectively. Babies cry because it’s the only way they know how to communicate with adults that they need something (sometimes parents will even say they can tell the difference between the cries for food, soiled diapers, etc.)
Good communication turns into life or death when, for instance, you call for emergency services. 911 operators are so often unfairly overlooked by society but without them, the ambulance, fire trucks, or police officers would not have sufficient information to be helpful to those in need. If police don’t communicate with each other when dealing with a situation, they may not have the correct information to handle it safely.
Air traffic control relies heavily on communication from pilots in the air, to ground crews and the like in order to make sure no one gets in anyone’s way. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if they were absent.
I could go on all day about how good communication is not only for our lives as individuals, but as a society as well. Recently, there have been many saying we should not communicate with people of differing opinions, especially when it comes to politics. I disagree. I believe the only way we can solve society’s problems is by communicating with people on all sides of an issue. Perhaps one has a solution the other has not thought of, or maybe there’s also a downside that isn’t being discussed at all.
Good communication makes the world turn that much easier. On the flip side, bad communication can cause all sorts of disruption and confusion. I, for one, am thankful those three astronauts aboard Apollo 13 were able to communicate effectively, otherwise, they may never have made it home and our space program may never have learned from their mistakes.
This week’s challenge: Think about areas of your life where communication could be improved. Is there anything you can do about it? If so, what could you do that may make a difference or change things for the better?
Song: “Hello, Goodbye” - The Beatles
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