I've also noted folks who suddenly give comments completely out of context--or which you cannot connect in any way (whatsoever) to the present conversation topic--but who seem very confident about what they say. I don't know how to describe them exactly. They're not mad, insane or stupid--it's just that they sometimes lose connectivity somewhere.
I sometimes blame it on failure to listen good. As I've said, almost no one's a good listener anymore. I'd repeat what I had said to people I talk to but they'd give me the same non-contextual comments. "There might be a family of spooks living in that big tree," my wife once told a lady she was talking to. The lady said, "Oh yes, there are families living in that compound. In fact, 4 families live there and they all seem to be nice folks."
So my wife had to explain herself, laughing. "I was only kidding," she assured the lady. "What I meant as a joke was, the big tree in that compound may be inhabited by families of scary spirits. You know--ghosts." But the lady merely repeated her first answer: "Oh yes, there are families living in that compound. In fact, 4 families live there and they all seem to be nice folks."
So, how else do you explain things to people like her? Considering this lady was a professional and a board exam passer--even a decorated pro in her field of expertise. But she couldn't seem to get the idea. So I butted in for a last ditch effort. "There might be demons or evil spirits living in that huge tree inside the compound, but it's meant as a joke. You know--something to laugh at and not take seriously," I said, forcing out a laughter.
The lady thought for a while and said, "Really? Ghosts live in big trees?"
"Well, it's supposed to work that way, according to tradition. Haha! Right Choy?"
I said, "Right," to my wife, hoping everything finally sinks in. But the lady didn't laugh. Instead, she said, "That's scary," with a graven look. She lost the idea altogether. The idea was to have something to laugh at, not get scared of. Has she lost her sense of humor? Due to work overstress, perhaps? She's been overstressed by her work for decades, working from 7 am to 5 pm, and having to get up as early as 3 am to prepare for work and travel to her office. Everyday.
So I figure, it's one of the following reasons--ego, bad listening skills, or overstress. Perhaps, even all of the above. People lose connection during conversations due mostly to bad habits triggered by destructive lifestyles. Things that destroy focus. Almost no one knows how to keep still and listen. This was what God said in the bible. To really know him, we have to "Be still and know I am God." Why did he have to say that? Because no one was probably listening.
We lose connectivity if we fail to listen. Remember that. We can seem to give replies and comments, but it won't make sense. Often, we don't make sense to God. We keep talking but it's all out of context. He can't connect it to what he's saying to us. Especially when God talks about prosperity--all we hear is money and material possessions. If you listen well enough, you'd find out that God really means spiritual prosperity. But we don't want t listen to that. We want money.
Like this passage:
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.I often hear them quoting it like this: "And my God will supply all my needs..." If you take it that way, you didn't read correctly, and you don't make sense to God. Taking it like that takes away the real story behind the passage. It's actually the words of a man of God who was helped materially by a group of believers under his care. He said that by helping him thus, his God will supply all their needs.
So, the prerequisite to this promise is helping a man of God, and it should be the man of God pronouncing this blessing on his supporters. That's how it works. But lots of folks lose connectivity somewhere here because of bad listening skills (and perhaps with a little mix of ego and overstress). Ego, because they want every promise in the bible to work for them alone. And overstress, because being so preoccupied with things of this world makes them so wanting in spiritual discernment.
And then there is depression which is rampant today. It's everywhere. It's not just the suicidal that are depressed. Almost everyone is. It's the current lifestyle and self-centeredness that often make us unnecessarily depressed. The idea that the world should revolve around us makes us frustrated and lonely when we see it's revolving around someone else. So we struggle to make it revolve around us (dying to be noticed and appreciated) and lose connectivity somewhere in the process.
We can't stand to be unnoticed. Being ignored is like the end of the world. But it's not. It's actually freedom. It's when true life starts. When people pay you less attention--and you've grown mature with it--you begin to connect more meaningfully with life. You begin to make sense. Wild flowers are neglected. They grow up by themselves untended. And yet, they look so beautifully when in bloom and people marvel because of the fact that they were neglected and yet blooming. That's real meaning.
To regain connectivity, we must go back to a simple life. The basics. What I call going back to the original plan of God in Genesis before the fall. Before Adam and Eve failed to listen well. They took everything wrongly and lost connectivity somewhere.
