​COMMUNICATION AND ENVIRONMENT 

Guest Post

Communication

From the Latin word ‘communis‘ which means “common/share/fellowship”, Communication is a relationship. This relationship is initiated by and originates from one individual and is then shared with another individual through a medium. The medium is called language which is a passage through which the relationship is effected. 

The relationship is made of ideas, concepts, feelings, attitudes and suchlike commonly known as the message. These are transmitted bodily. Bodily here refers to ‘The Word‘(spoken) or its representation (also known as ‘body language‘). 

The purpose is that the individuals have/get/share “the common”/same message at every moment sharing/fellow-shipping occurs. Let us give an example of what we have so far defined and explained. Let us use feelings. 

If an individual say A  bears romantic affection within her/him,and would like to ”communis”/share/ make it common in individual B, she/he will seek the passage (we call language) appropriate for the message(feelings). 

She/he may use one body (word) like “burning”, “love”, “passion” or may use a full sentence like “I am burning for you”, “I love you”, “I feel great passion for you”. 

Or they can represent this symbolically e.g., through gifts, look of the face, dressing style, perfume and suchlike. 

When B exactly shares what A has/bears, then communication has been initiated. But when B responds either negatively or positively (i.e., accordingly but not neutrally), then the communication is said to have been effective. The response is called feedback.

Environment

On the other hand,environment refers to all conditions (Real/True) within which things exist. The things may be living things or not. They may be human or non human. The conditions may be physical or non physical. They may be artificial or natural. The existence may be visible or not. 

For example, in the bathroom (physical condition) a human being (human living thing) may exist bathing with water(a natural thing) from the tap (artificial thing). Now that example is simplistic. We can have a less simplistic example. 

In the mind (non visible and non physical condition), an idea (a thing) may exist. The most fundamental for us to note about environment is that what we do or do not do; what we ought to do or ought not to do and all our thoughts, fears, attitudes, beliefs, feelings and suchlike are determined or established by the kind of environment (all conditions [present or absent] within which we exist) we live in. 

So we undress in the bathroom because bathing is done on our bodies not our clothes. We believe what we believe and the way we believe it because of our, for example, family environment; education environment; religious environment; cultural environment and so on!

Relationship between Communication and Environment

Now since communication is a sharing process; that is to say, a relationship aiming at the common/same sharing of attitudes, feelings, ideas, thoughts, concepts and suchlike, communication carries the role of either improving the environment or stagnating it. 

Through what they communicate,people may make their environment friendlier to their existence or more hostile to their existence. What we think and not think, do and not do, feel and not feel, say and not say et cetera determines our belief systems, life styles, decisions et cetera. 

Imagine an environment where we communicate love not hate, we communicate unity not segregation, Faith in God not religious institutions, education not academic excellence, service not power, God’s ethics not human rights, relationship development not wedding ceremonies! 

But all this seems or sounds ideal(utopia). Why? Because in return, what we communicate, why we communicate and how we communicate too are influenced by our environments. 

If, for example, where we exist/have our existence tribe is more important than skill, race is more important than being a human being, a certain religious denomination/sect is superior to God and so on; our relationship to one another (i.e.,our communication) shall be genetically built towards such. 

Remember the environment can be physical like a geographical territory such as a country, a home, a church institution, a school, a work place etc, or a non physical one like a job/office position, education, mindset, nurturing/upbringing etc. 

Therefore, mind where you are physically, spiritually, intellectually, socially etc (environment) because what,how and why you communicate is your life. The reverse is also true.

Peter C. Sserubidde MA