MIS-INTERPRETATION

Hi,
well, the time has come and the first "mis" is unveiled below.. Welcome

MISINTERPRETATION

Misinterpretation is a “miss” that accompanies the word interpret in causing confusion in our families.

From the Oxford University dictionary, to interpret means:
A) “To decide that something/somebody has a particular meaning and to understand it in this way”

The upgrade to that definition is given by the American Heritage dictionary
“To present or conceptualize the meaning of……” the decision (as in “A” above)

Misinterpretation then is when you get that decision, meaning and the presentation wrong.
To wrongful translate orally or in languages the words, actions and ideas of a creator.
It is also a false processed response to an idea, oral or written data that has been taken in.

Everyday, we find ourselves with the task of interpreting information that comes our way so we can act on them. Be it your baby crying, your spouse kissing you (home family), your teacher teaching you (school family), your boss allocating a new project (work family) or even a stranger raising their middle finger at you (societal family).

Every reaction you put forward is supporting the decision you have made concerning interpretation.
If someone slaps you real hard, your interpretation of that slap will determine how you’ll react, either with a frown (if you deserve the slap), a return slap (if your pride is on the line) or a groan of satisfaction (as in a sexual environment).

Misinterpretation will occur if as in a sexual environment, you respond to the slap by beating up whoever that slapped you.

If you get the decision wrong… no matter how truthful and well meaning you are, your processed response will always be wrong. An upgrade to the consequence occurs when you present the wrong response to others to run with. A chain of wrong responses will erupt and in no time, the family will be in crisis.

Misinterpretation can be grouped under these three broad headings:

Ignorant misinterpretation
Deliberate misinterpretation
System misinterpretation

Ignorant misinterpretation: This is caused by the narrowness in the availability of options for the interpreter. The interpreter has got the decision wrong because they do not have the capability to digest, analyse and grasp “correctly” the data (action, words or writing) being passed on to them. In other words, they don’t know better.

Deliberate misinterpretation: This is a result of the revelation of the contents of the mind of the interpreter. The interpreter has got the decision wrong because he/she purposely wants to cause trouble, harm or inflict pain.

System misinterpretation: This is the most common form of misinterpretation and it combines ignorance and deliberate forms of interpretation.
System misinterpretation is connected to every aspect of our lives. Each person’s decision is sourced from their pool of knowledge. This pool of knowledge encompasses academic education, moral education, experience, societal influence, mindset configuration etc.
So you’ll find that a good person makes a good interpreter and a bad person makes a bad interpreter.
The content of your interpretation will stem from the vocabulary stored in your system. So, if you have a good (positive) mindset, your interpretations of words and actions will be from a good database and will almost always turn out good but if you have a bad (negative) mindset, then without doubt, your interpretation of words and actions will almost always turn out bad irrespective of what you take in.

I have met a few people in life that will not take gifts because in their minds, they are always certain that the giver is trying to be cunning and only giving because the giver would want something greater in return at another day.
This thought line could be true in some cases, but not in all cases.

Your knowledge base is a major determinant of the correctness of your interpretation.
Misinterpretation wrecks havoc in our families simply because ideas and talks are passed around based on the interpreter.

2Timothy 2 vs. 2
And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust [as a deposit] to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach others also.

In our families, it is good practise to ensure that for every unsure recipient, we make sure that messages are passed on with drivers.
We understand that computers need drivers or else their interpreted responses will be wrong, useless and misleading. Likewise, for every recipient that is not on the same level as you, please provide your messages with drivers.

How do you do this?

v Recognise the difference in “knowledge base” in the family
v Be conscious of the possibility of misinterpretation in the family
v Clarify your thoughts and messages. (word, actions and writings)
v Pursue harmony in the family and stay faithful
v Give the people around you the benefit of doubt

The easiest aspect of misinterpretation to miss is an interpretation of actions. Watch out for those winks and “evil eyes”…. They may just be the person’s natural condition…..and not passing any message across or having any meaning to it. (lol)

Thank you for starting this journey with me. Hope to see you next week as I pick up another “Mis” in the series to ensure that we learn the things that causes our families to go amiss.

Hint for next week: Always learning, but never know the truth… they learn to argue…. YES, it is another “Mis”

Stay paged.