lost in translation

This morning I attended the second-to-last URL (University Religious Leaders) meeting of the semester (which I needed to attend because I haven't been to any yet this semester), and heard some keynote speakers talk about genocide in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Week. It was a bittersweet experience.

I truly enjoyed hearing one guest share with us (however briefly) about her experience as a Holocaust survivor, having fled to Shanghai with her mother to escape Nazi persecution. I love learning about the truth behind such eras... truth that comes from individuals' experiences. I enjoyed her bit so much that I even waited around after the breakfast to thank her for coming and swap email addresses.

The rest of the breakfast speakers were a little too political for my liking, and also, it seemed (along with many of those asking questions at the end of the short speeches) simply wanted to talk above the group, rather than explain things so that we would be inspired to act. Now, I can't really judge their motives (since I don't know their hearts), so please don't think that I desire to do so, but I found myself wondering why.

Maybe I wonder about this because I enjoy sharing my faith and speaking in order to motivate others to act. That is one idea. Another is that because I was a communications major, I understand the value of communicating effectively.

I really, truly want to believe, though, that I simply hate to see people being belittled, regardless of their education or social status. I want people to care for each other, and extend that care by making efforts to treat others with respect. If someone is speaking to a group about a certain agenda, why not cater the speech to the group's vernacular (of course, within reason...) so the message is not lost in translation? It seems that too often, action never occurs because people are left scratching their heads in confusion or laughing in mockery after they've been addressed by a speaker.

This whole concept has me reevaluating my own norms of communication, particularly regarding my communication about Christ. Do I ever try to speak above those I'm sharing with? Do I try to use fancy jargon to make myself look elite and all-knowing? How do I use my own situation in ways that estrange people, and consequently, turn them from the gospel? Perhaps most importantly, How do I become all things to all people so I can relate to them and meet them where they are?

This is something worth discovering.