A lot has happened since my last, and should I say, weak post. I should briefly I digress to say that my first blog entry was to test the waters of blogger-dom, and see how people generally react toward blogs, and I was impressed by recent events and responses, not all strains of this dialogue, which I hope it most certainly is.

Soap Box Talk: I believe in verbal communication as the only true form of effective communication. Now, of course, these implements in which we try to communicate are in some achieve their purposes, I do not feel that they attain all that verbal communication can, and so if what we desire, here contemplating momentarily the human condition, is to communicate and relate and be in companionship to other human beings, and almost all of the recent inventions that have flourished and taken over the world, i.e. the internet, cell phones, instant messaging, blogging, and websites designed to express oneself in the hopes that someone sees it (myspace, livejournal), then shouldn't we then strive to communicate some idea effectively, or if not effectively for some effect we hope that that idea is transmitted well.

Whatever the case may be, the event of communicating something may inherently operate under the condition of being understood. **I am in the business of making enormous statements about life, the universe, and everything in it, so reader beware.** To expound upon that point further, if the author/speaker tries in some way to remain ambiguous an idea is still being cultivated, the speaker chose to stay misunderstood for some effect, but whatever reason, we are trying to transmit some idea, and we hope that through our medium, or may be it is all about our medium, that the person on the other is receives it, and receives it in such a way as to get what we are trying to do.

(I will tip my hand at this point, and say that this writing is purposefully sporadic so as to prove my point more fully, about the understanding of communication, and further to transmit to you my passion for this topic and my fervor at transmitting my own idea about the matter) But what does this anyway, how coy a statement, because of course through the tone and text presented to you, I have established great concern for the efforts put forward to communicate.

This is could be considered a flimsy transition to my true point. Why communicate?

There are six question words in the English language. I wish I could give you data on the worlds languages, and the question words that exist in each. This data could help or hurt my argument, so I preface this next statement by saying, to my best understanding, given the knowledge I have acquired through my current scope of understanding the world, that these six question words are markedly important to our world views and our outworking inside our own constructs.
Six Question Words: Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why...

These question words focus our attention to events, things that happened, trivial, tragic, terrifying, and terrific as they may be; we define all of this happenings through these six words, and their answers, kind of, because they need not always be answered nor do the answers need always to be fully revealed nor understood, but the questions always need to be asked.

I shall use a recent event that has happened that many of my readers will easily be able to relate to, if not then this next part may not mean as much to you, hang in there something else might.

On February 14, 2008 a lone gun man walked into Cole Hall, while a Biology class was in session, just about to get out, and fired numerous shots into a panic-striken crowd, killing 5 students, then turned the gun on himself, committing suicide, leaving 6 dead on the scene. Students fled in horror, shock, and amazement that this terrifying event just took place in their classroom. What followed is common knowledge and the repercussions of this action are still being felt on Northern Illinois University Campus.

- I was still in my apartment, having skipped my math class to work on some other homework due that evening, when my wife called me from work, and insisted that I do not go to campus as I had planned, and to stay inside, lock the doors because so little information was known at the time. I then of course turned on the television, to find news reporters in the same frenzy I was in for more information. I watched for a long time.

A thought struck me throughout this ordeal about the nature of asking questions. I realized that reporting the news was simply asking then seeking the answers for your questions.

In this event, questions started to be asked immediately, to help us, those who were not there, try to understand what happened.

The first question to be asked is what. The event occurred. Immediate one asks, what happened?
The answer I was given was that a gunman was on campus.

Where? Evidence points to Cole Hall.

When did this happen? About 3 p.m.

Who is the gunman? A graduate student named Steven, we later learned.

How did he do what he did? He bought 4 guns, mostly online, stayed in a hotel for a couple of days, we are not sure what he hours before the shooting, but we know that he entered through the front of the auditorium, and opened fire on a classroom full of students, with a shotgun and three pistols.

Why? We have no idea.

This question begs to be asked under every circumstance imaginable. We see the lack of satisfaction evident in the first five questions, and try to find solace in a lack of understanding, but we are left with urning for closure, the only closure that can be found in asking why. Why did he shoot at students he didn't know? Why would anyone choose to do such a thing?

Why communicate? What do you have to say that I need to learn from? Why should I listen to you at all? Why are you important? I know why I am important, I am me, myself, and I, but you are you, someone else, a faceless name, or a nameless face. You are important, and you always will be.

What am I communicating? A blog about communication breakdowns.

Where? On Blogspot, Facebook, and Myspace

When? It is a windy Sunday evening.

To Whom am I communicating? I am not sure, you obviously.

How? I am typing it on a Macbook, with wireless internet.

Why? Isn't that the question?

I am communicating because I must. I have to, not to be so baselessly confused with obligated.
I won't get into that just yet.

For another post, tomorrow if I feel up to it.

Let me make clear, that we all should communicate everything, because whether we realize it or not, everything we do and say is being recorded, is being watched, lovingly because that is how we worship our God. He listens, pays attention, and wants us to notice that he is anyway. He loves us, doesn't like some of the things we do, but regardless of that He still loves us. So communicate to him, through Jesus Christ, our medium and mediator, because our communication matters, pray...