Communication, Baby

~ This article first appeared in the Leader-Vindicator newspaper. ~

“If I am not too badly mistaken there is a drift to the “easy” path in the present-day life of our nation.  This in spite of the general understanding and agreement that if we are to preserve what we have … willingness to go up against hard work must again be recognized as something to a man’s credit instead of an indication of stupidity.”  - E. J. Halberg, 1947.

The above quote, written 75 years ago and still relevant to the social context of today, is interesting for two reasons. 

First, E.J.’s lament proves that the world was as much of a mess then as it is now, which confirms as foolishness any respect for politicians’ logorrhea about a better tomorrow; or, at the minimum, that the chaos created by a society averse to labor is not a recent development but a slow grind that obviously started in the good old days that everyone claims were not like it is now.

Second, it’s interesting, and also the inspiration for my column today, that these words were snatched from a greater message written and delivered to the workers of the Pittsburgh and Shawmut railroad.

What I find of note is that the president of a booming railroad company found it important to communicate with the laborers on the railroad, and he took the time to do it, and, most importantly, he thought about what he was saying when he wrote.  In fact, the whole of the Shawmut Sentinel series is so carefully created that the magazines are a joy to read.  What a strong message to the employees, this publication, because it spoke directly to them and elevated every man and woman of the company into the upper echelon of American business.  Workers’ names, photographs, and life happenings occur throughout each issue.  The Boss Man wasn’t too important to spend time thinking about them.

Something is lost in substance as communication becomes easier.  It is safe to say that people texting each other about work today are not putting as much thought into what they write on their phone as E.J. put into what he typed on his typewriter.  Furthermore, the founding fathers of our nation likely thought a little harder about what they wrote in their letters than E.J. and his fancy typewriter.  This lack of substance in a deluge of communication is why people drift apart while securely connected to each other.

I’m in a funk at the moment that has eliminated my craving for information.  Once able to cheerfully consume one book a week, I haven’t cracked a page since sometime in January.  I’ve stopped watching anything on Youtube or seeking any form of advice or ideas on the internet.  The fact is that I’ve been ingesting so much communication that it all started contradicting itself, and I finally just gave up.  This is like a reset so that I can find my own thoughts in the clutter. 

What is unusual is that I feel like I’m living in real time instead of on a ten second delay.  Previously, with so very much information bombarding my mind, even a simple task became a laborious series of checks and balances that made for a grueling day of decisions.  By cutting off the supply of other peoples’ thoughts, I am free do just do stuff based on what feels correct.  It’s liberating.  (I’m still frequently wrong.)

We need a communication reset in agriculture.  I remember a text message mishap with my wife: She meant she wanted to be somewhere at noon, I interpreted that she wanted me home at noon so we could get ready to leave.  The result was considerably more severe than the proverbial World War III, and it could have been avoided with an actual conversation.  Now consider the ramifications of poor communication between the people who eat and the people who grow food; this is life and death, and yet we’re not taking the time to think deeply about what we communicate or to confirm what we understand from communication.  I love social media and the connections it creates, but I can say for certain that when people react to our news feed they still have no idea what we do.  There has to be more substance.

How can we communicate less and more effectively?  I don’t know if there is an answer for that question.  I feel certain that people would feel much more grounded if they turned off the stream of things they “know” and settled for what they know.  It worked for me; life makes a lot more sense in real time.  So does farming.  When we’re not trying to apply into each activity every idea from every person who’s ever thought, we can incorporate what we think is best for our situation and we’ll probably be less confounded by the results.

I guess this column is my “slow down”.  I’m so grateful for the opportunity to take the time and think instead of rushing to post.  Long live local media!