Why the hell...

...can't people understand something the first time you say it? No, I am not talking about communication gaps here. On the contrary, this happens when the person perfectly understands what you are trying to convey, but just refuses to acknowledge it.

For me, this is the perfect recipe for frustration. And it happens so very often..and in all aspects of life. Instances from work include juniors who don't work as told, peers who can't appreciate a good idea the first time and managers who can't give an answer or approve an expense when you submit the claims. There is no lack of capability or time in any of these cases. The work gets done the moment you start increasing the pressure, the idea gets accepted after half an hour of explanations which your peers are jolly well aware of in the first place and the answers and approvals come after enough time is spent on 'gentle' and 'not so gentle' reminders.

Instances from personal life are also abundant - house owners who refuses to return your advance, shopkeepers who don't deliver goods as requested for (either in terms of quality or timeliness) and so on. And in these cases, the results come after one uses a skillful and delicate combination of tact, negotiation, threats and screams. Well, I said delicate 'cos if any one ingredient is more or less then the melodrama will not produce the requisite results.

I consider these activities a colossal waste of time. If all of us choose to understand things the first time they are told...if we choose to respond in a mature manner, without waiting for someone to waste their precious time on repeating the same thing over and over again (with just a variation in tone and emotions, while the content essentially remains the same)... the world shall be a better place to live in.

Wishful thinking? Or an undying optimism in the human race?