Late night videos

After a day of stressful interactions one is likely to rehash the discussions before falling asleep:

What did she mean by ...? Did I overreact? When he said ... I should have said ... .

Maybe more words are exchanged soon afterwards, clarifying or obfuscating the issue. Communicating with someone from a different upbringing/cultural background often leads to misunderstandings.

One can only understand WITH the innate and acquired knowledge in one's head. And thoughts are NOT unconnected from feelings. Suppose most of the feelings I experience while "playing the video" of my day's communications are negative. Then there is the tendency to "photoshop" the video to make me "look better".

If it really hurts, I can edit the video so that I play the role of a hero. That implies, of course, that whoever opposes me is a villain. This may sound far-fetched but I believe we all do it to some extent to cope with our feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness.

This routine really becomes toxic if I "broadcast" my video. When someone asks "How did your talk with so-and-so go?", I give them the edited version. After that it becomes difficult to "delete".

Once the edited "video" has become part of the matrix I use to understand WITH, my conversations with the "villains" will be distorted. This will cause further alienation and a breakdown in relationships.

Jesus warned his followers to be careful about how they observe events to make sure they "walk in the light". (Luke 11:15-20; 11:33-36)