A Time to Talk- Thoughts on How We Talk to Each Other

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence have helped researchers make significant advancement in understanding how other species communicate.

They have identified a complex array of sounds produced by the majestic sperm whales, which they've referred to as a “sperm whale phonetic alphabet.” This discovery suggests the intriguing possibility that sperm whales might possess a sophisticated language system comparable to human languages.

Another pathbreaking discovery was made by a group of Japanese scientists who caught plants communicating with each other on video. In a nutshell, discovered that “Plants perceive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by mechanically- or herbivore-damaged neighbouring plants and induce various defense responses. Such interplant communication protects plants from environmental threats. Entire forests communicate with each other through an underground network of Fungi revealing a fabulous mutual communication network.

Scientists have explored that African Elephants greet each other with various sounds and physical gestures like flapping their ears, making rumbling noises, waggling their tails and reaching out their trunks.

Off late, videos of Dog owners trying to communicate with their pet dogs with talking buttons has been all over the internet. A lot of studies have declared these techniques as a hoax.

The film My Octopus Teacher tells the captivating story of Craig Foster, a documentary filmmaker who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and connection with nature. Over the course of a year, Foster builds an extraordinary bond with the octopus, observing her intelligence, curiosity, and remarkable survival strategies.

These efforts of communicating with and understanding the nature of communication of other species, makes me wonder, what's going on with human communications.

Communicating with People

As a lawyer, your life depends on communication. Even if you are an introvert by choice, you are professionally obligated to communicate with clients, in court and with colleagues. Personally, to maintain a level of social sanity, you are obligated to yourself, to periodically talk to your family, friends and acquaintances.

About 15 years ago, I had a very basic smartphone, only used for calling people. Then up till 10 years ago, most use of my phone was to then talk to friends & family and to book cabs.

Today my phone's main use is to constantly check emails and Whatsapp messages. I have about 20 archived Whatsapp groups apparently sharing important updates. From a time when you would only get messages from people you wanted to get messages from, random marketing messages have cluttered Whatsapp messages. Spam calls are another sad story, a level of harassment for which there is no prevention or protection.

Some part of my day also goes into watching absolutely useless but funny reels on Instagram. It has become a primary mode of communication between me and some of my friends and relatives. We send each other satirical, offensive, sometimes disgustingly funny (cringe) content on Instagram. Earlier when I would have laughed with them, now I laugh alone. Knowing that Doom scrolling and watching cringe content has been linked to coping mechanisms to manage stress, we all are guilty of indulging in them.

From one screen to another, Netflix & other OTTs have our attention for the remaining 'free' time. After back breaking weekdays, on weekends we turn to mush. Another reason to avoid communicating with oneself and others.

While social media was earlier a mode of sharing authentic content, it has been reduced simply to a marketplace (pretending to be tiktok). At the same time, rise of OTT has led to a decline in communal forms of seeking entertainment, like going to theatres, watching movies and plays with your family.

The result is visible. The internal turmoil is clearly reflecting in our external conflicts.

We are in times where human beings are at war with each other, dialogues have failed and people are suffering in a fight over ideologies, power and control.

Communications with one self

Mediation

It was during my (now) yearly Vipasana Meditation camps that I realised how happy I can be without my phone and not feel that like the world will fall to pieces. The rigorous hours of 10+ hours of daily mediation for 10 days opened my mind on how our body communicates with us and how in the daily chorus of life, we forget to talk to ourselves.

Healing though Therapy, Journaling & Affirmations

Recently in an interview, actress Vidya Balan revealed on how she has been working with a healer for past 12 years, who helps her process her emotions and deal with life with specific techniques.

Of late, tools like shadow work, inner healing, journaling and affirmations have gained importance as this generation tries to make sense of life and its impending sense of doom. The Millenials and the Gen Z generation are also increasingly adapting to therapy as a part of their life. So much so that humans are now judging each other's behavior patterns including their own, in therapy terms.

Neuroplasticity and romanticising experiences

A prize winning study in Neuroplasticity has revealed how our sensory experiences shape the structure and function of the brain. My short experience with mediation has also helped me realise that you can can rewire the way you think. You can alter your past traumas by observing them from a distance and creating a positive outlook to your lived experience.

But in order to rewire ourselves, we need to improve the physical and mental space surrounding us.

If today an alien life form had to understand how humans communicate, I am sure it would be perplexed.

It would see the wars going on in the world, wondering how the most sophisticated economies have failed at dialogue. It would see humans trolling each other relentlessly on twitter for sadistic pleasures over trivial opinions. It would see rap artists creating diss tracks to talk to each other and others spending hours trying to understand it. It would see everyone talking at and not with each other, possibly only trying to sell each other stuff no one needs.

This short thought provoking poem by Robert Frost, A Time to Talk summarises how I feel.

It's time to truly talk.