Understanding each other

Good morning.
World Hindi Day was celebrated a couple of days ago on the anniversary of the first World Hindi Conference that took place in 1975.
Hindi was adopted as the official language of the Republic of India in 1949. It is one of the two official languages of the Government of India, along with English. Modern Hindi, spoken chiefly in North India, is spoken by more than 250 million people today as a first language.
Language and how we use language is so important. I am constantly amazed, although maybe I shouldn’t be, how easily certain words and terms can be misunderstood. And when we need to translate something from one language to another, it can be even more confusing.
This often generates miscommunication, which can easily lead to mistrust and disagreement, sometimes angrily and even violently.
I am very aware that often in interfaith spaces and situations with different backgrounds and cultures, the way things are said can lead to misunderstandings.
I am often involved in and lead interfaith dialogues. Sometimes these can be on safe and easy topics but often we engage in topics where there are significant differences of opinion.
One thing we try to do is make sure that people treat each other respectfully and that we listen to each other. And when something isn’t clear or something needs challenging, we can do so with sensitivity and expressing our opinion and feelings, without denigrating others.
So, I pray that this year, as I try to talk to others of different faiths and backgrounds and opinions, I learn to use language carefully and sensitively, listening and talking respectfully and seeking to understand the deeper and fuller meanings of things that seem more confusing and challenging.
I pray that nothing I say will be offensive or hurtful to others and that I learn to understand the nuances of language, so that I do not offend others.