A 42 Carat Space Loving Neanderthal

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Planetarium

I read an interesting post at Kyknoord’s site in which Kyk notes the disdain or ambivilance shown by the children in the auditorium toward the night sky or space. I suppose you could blame the PC games and modern science (landing on the moon and the Mars Rover programme) but you can only apportion part of the blame to advances in computer game realism technology and space programmes.

Kyk’s experience at the Cape Town Planetarium differs greatly to my visit to the London auditorium last year. The kids in the audience were audibly awestruck and spellbound by the show. This is pleasing. There is hope that a future Patrick Moore was among the crowd.

I wonder what causes the difference between the kids in S Africa and here in UK?

It’s All About Listening and Translation and Conversation

Ever had a conversation with someone and when its over you find you need to spend a few minutes trying to work out what it was all about? This is happening to me too often and I am seriously worried that the cause of the problem is me! Yikes.

But is it? Well after running through the last difficult conversation a couple of times it strikes me that the person I was trying to engage, was not listening to me. He probably heard me but he failed to register the content of what I was saying. And I make a point of using simple and understandable English, so it wasn’t that surely. I was listening intently to what he was saying. Yes, it was difficult to maintain focus but I did and found myself listening intently to what he was saying. Maybe that was the problem. I was too focused so lost the plot?

Management Sounding Board

Ever thought you were hired to simply be a sounding board for your line manager? How many times have I booked the time to see a boss to explain some issues only to find that I end up being preached at about some different issue. Says a lot for the boss doesn’t it?

42 Carat Plonker

I feel like a total bum and selfish git. A 42 carat plonker! Also I’m groveling in mortification and embarrassment. Why? I never for a second thought that th person I was poking fun at was in the middle of the worst kinds of trouble and difficulties. How to offer a convincing ‘I am sorry?!

How can I convey adequately that I am sorry for acting like a Neanderthal. A git! Me,me,me,me,me always about selfish me. Wow I feel like a real prat.

So beware. If you are having a joke at someone’s expense, I hope the other person is not in the middle of a crisis. They may mature enough not to let on that what you are doing is in fact causing a lot of unwarranted distress.