A lot of things in life come down to communication, friends. If you fail to communicate, it can lead to ill feelings, misinterpretation, and ultimately to a loss of friendship or even a loss of job or other important things in your life.
When there is a problem, or if you perceive a problem, talk about it.
If you think that somebody has done something to slight you, go to that person and ask about the perceived problem. The chances are that the person is unaware of any problem, and did not mean anything against you in whatever was said or done. There is only one way to find out, though, and that is to talk it over with the person that you feel has said something against you.
Talk things over
As I said, I feel that the odds are that you have misunderstood what was said, that it was not against you at all. But, even if it was something against you, if you talk about it, perhaps you can iron out the issue, figure out what the problem is, and take care of it. Worst case scenario, you cannot work it out, and you have to walk away from the conversation having lost a friend. In that case, at least you know exactly where things stand.
If you feel you have been slighted and you don’t talk with the person about it, you will really never know exactly what was said, why it was said, and you will never have an opportunity to work it out. In fact, you will harbor ill feelings toward that person for the rest of your life, or at least until the time comes when you decide to sit down and talk it over.
So, really, if you want to avoid ill feelings, just talk it out. Your friend will appreciate you making the effort to iron out any potential problem, so just do it!
I totally agree. I have been friends with a few people for more than 2 decades now and we have already proven that communication and respect played a vital role in our friendship. Whenever we have issues that we don’t agree with, we are free to say our piece without fear of being mocked or ridiculed. And we ‘confront’ each other too sometimes but always do it with us keeping our friendship intact in our minds. You’re right, you have to speak up to clarify things. My husband once told me, he is not so smart to know what’s going on until I tell him
Good article, Bob!
That is true ChattyPinay. Talk it over… if you can’t agree, then agree to disagree! Nothing says that we all have to agree all of the time in order to remain friends!