asma halai's blog

It is highly integral to note that language is very different from speech, and speech is very different from thought. We largely assume that those who have difficulty communicating have nothing to say, or, consequently, that they aren’t “thinking” as much as we are.

It’s a dangerous misconception.

I began talking at a very young age. My mom always told me that as a child, I was highly articulate and very good at linguistically involved activities. As I grew older, I made that my identity. I made words, talking, reading and writing my identity. I love each of those things dearly, and they are all important to me, but as I grew older, I’m being faced with uncomfortable truths.

These forms of expression that I held on to so tightly were becoming a weapon. They were becoming a way for me to facilitate control. Communication is a very important tool, but talking does not equal communication. Talking is what one does, but good conversation is the seamless integration of multiple perspectives. A multilateral balance of one and others, a perfectly shaken cocktail of talking, listening, laughing, smiling, and more. As I continue living, I realize that, like anything, conversation is truly an art. But most importantly, I learn that as talking is a beautiful form of expression, but so is listening. Listening and talking are so unequivocally intertwined.