Interpersonal Communication What Went Wrong

What Went Wrong?

The relevance of being an effective communicator cannot be overstated. Effective communication come in handy in efforts to engage with others in a meaningful manner. In this text, I assess a personal experience that triggered conflict.

Close to 6 months ago, I was having an engagement with three of my friends and our conversation drifted to the absurdity of having different religions despite believing in only one God. Whereas I am Christian, my two other friends were a Muslim and a Hindu. At some point, I made an observation to the effect that Muslims held and advanced some “absurd” beliefs. I added that the hijab clothing was “ridiculous” as it essentially meant that wearers were forced to breather in the very same carbon dioxide that they breathed out – which was not reconcilable with God’s intention that we breathe in oxygen.

Needless to say, my Muslim friend was extremely offended by my assertion. She promptly walked away. She took my assertion as an instance of ethnocentrism. It would be prudent to note that ethnocentrism has been defined as a move by an individual to perceive his or her ethnic formation or culture as being distinguished or preferable in comparison to other cultures or other ethnic formations (Srevenlberg, 2009).

If I could go back and re-do it, I would be more considerate than I was in that fateful engagement. This is to say that I would seek to be more polite and seek to understand the basis as well as reasoning for the hijab clothing as per the relevant Islamic teachings. We all do certain things in a unique manner – based on our upbringing, culture, religious affiliation, etc. The differences we share must, thus, never be used as a basis for insensitive statements or discrimination.