Your senses are the physical abilities of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. If you feel something, it means that you are aware of it, or are aware of it, although it may not be obvious. If you have a feeling that something is so, it means that you believe it to be so, even though you may not have clear evidence to support your belief. If you have a feeling of guilt or shame, it means that you feel guilty or ashamed. If you feel that something is your duty, it means that you feel that it is important. Sense, according to the dictionary, is the ability to make good judgments and behave sensibly. The word Nonsense is used to refer to something that does not make sense, or is meaningless, false, silly, or silly. It is also used to refer to things that we do not approve of, that mean nothing to us, or that sound ridiculous or pointless. If something makes sense, it means you can understand it. If it’s nonsense, it means it doesn’t make sense. But, someone once told me that you can make sense of nonsense. I tend to agree.
A long time ago, while waiting for my bus to arrive at a bus station, I saw a man, whom I thought was crazy, crossing the street. The man was known to many people in that area of the city where there is said to be a popular psychiatric hospital. Our man was obviously completely naked. As I watched, I saw him from time to time picking things up from the bins to eat, chat and laugh with himself and his imaginary friends. As he was about to cross the street, a truck ran towards him. Our man looked up, saw the truck and, in an exceptionally quick move, ran across the road. He surprised me, because he had assumed that madmen, having lost the coordinated use of their senses, would not know how to avoid danger. This man’s action made no sense to me at the time. I once saw a crazy woman on the street, hugging her baby. The officials tried to take the baby from her and she rebelled. I heard from a mad man who kept telling himself, and anyone who would listen, that there are seven types of madness, and he is manifesting one of them. As he passed, the businessmen shouted: “Hey, crazy, 25 + 37” and he answered, without stopping, not even looking to see who was asking, “62”, or the correct answer. Over the years, as I thought about it, I realized that even a crazy person can have the ability to make good judgments and behave sensibly. In contrast, many sane people can behave sensibly with erratic and abnormal snap judgments. Obviously, there is a fine line between insanity and sanity.
Many people speak and act without paying attention to what they say or do. We all act, but some people get paid to do it. Acting and speaking come naturally and easily to many people, although the English language can be quite confusing. For example, there is a difference between a “Start” and an “Upstart”! How is a foreigner supposed to know the difference when many born and bred English speakers struggle with the language? Most people can speak, but making sense when we speak is a task that must be learned. If someone says you’re “talking nonsense,” take it as advice. See if you can make sense of what he is saying for yourself. If it sounds confusing to you, it probably sounds confusing to others. Sometimes things that make sense to us may make absolutely no sense to other people. Making sense of words and actions is at the root of effective communication skills. I regularly try to make some sense out of things that don’t make sense to me. Here are some tips that I have learned and try to apply, that have worked for me.
1. Assume that the other person may not understand you.
2. Try to break down your thoughts into manageable chunks of information.
3. Keep it short and simple. Use a clear voice with simple, uncomplicated language.
4. Be aware of your facial expressions. Remember that you cannot see yourself.
5. Body language says a lot. Don’t make moves you can’t account for.
6. Disagree with things you don’t understand or agree with.
7. Hostile words are unnecessary and can end up having the opposite effect.
8. A smile costs nothing and makes a big difference in a conversation.
9. Go the extra mile to check what is being said or your listener’s understanding.
10. Above all, always be yourself. Trying to behave differently will only complicate things.
If you try any of these and it works for you, take it as meaning. If not, it’s probably nonsense.