The word “communication” is one of todays most widely used terms. We hear people talking about it in so many ways and even engage in it, yet, people invariably take communication for granted. Also, we are daily confronted with mass communication media as radio, television, newspaper, magazine, internet etc., but are only worried about the negative effects of the media especially on children/youth not thinking of how to channel it to be able to enhance human communication, growth and bring meaningful contribution to the society at large.
Communication is derived from the Latin verb “communico”, which means to share, to make common. The prefix “co” is a synonym for “with” while the morpheme “communi” is related to another Latin word “communis” meaning common. Communication can therefore be understood as the process of sharing information, ideas, attitudes or emotions from one person or group to another, primarily through symbols. It is a process whereby human beings collectively create social reality. When we communicate, we make things common and as such increase our shared knowledge. Communication helps human beings to understand themselves, to keep in touch with other people, to understand them and to predict their response to situation. Communication in and by the Church is essentially communication of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Communication is basic to human beings. It is as necessary as the air we breathe in and our hearts beat. We are human when we are in touch with other people. It is our being in touch with others that make us human and open up the possibilities of developing our humanity. Human being is a social being who lives within a community, without communication no human can live and no human society can exist. Communication touches every sphere of human activities. It informs all of human’s actions because it is occasioned by his/her need to interact with his or her fellow-human beings. It is therefore a means of controlling one’s environment. People use communication strategically to manipulate situations and gain control for a variety of purposes. The question each of us must therefore answer is “what do I communicate?”
Sr. Eunice Olusola Ikufisile OSF
St Patrick's Catholic Church
Ojo-Alaba, Lagos, Nigeria.
No comments:
Post a Comment