Communicating....

Iraq is not only HOT, but it is FLAT. I have lost my bearings numerous times and that is not usual for me. I am normally pretty good about keeping my sense of direction.

It is really fun to watch people and watch them interact with each other, especially when they only speak phrases of each others' language. A Marine said good morning to an Iraqi in Arabic. When the Iraqi replied in Arabic with a surprised smile and polite, normal reply in Arabic, it was not what the Marine was taught to expect in reply.

When the Marine was obviously socially and linguistically challenged by the Iraqi's response, the Iraqi stopped, thought for a minute and tried to use more simple terms. It was almost as if they were struggling to remember their lines in a junior high school play.

All that said though, they had the body language right. As they tried to remember what to say, their eyes looked up and to the right, almost as if scanning the right side of their cognitive brain to remember what to say. Their hands tried to accent what they were saying with open hands, palms up. Sincerity radiated through their smiles and they leaned into the conversation, intently trying to communicate. Although their words were a little off, they understood that they were trying to communicate in a friendly way.

All the while, the Marines around were watching some sort of verbal tennis match as these two people volleyed greetings and salutations. You could tell that those looking on also wanted them to communicate and wanted nothing but a positive outcome from the attempted conversation.

Apart from the extremists in our world, I really do think that most of man-kind is the same way. We watch as two nations or cultures try and communicate from different points of view and different interests. The international community looks on hoping for the best, sometimes even providing translators if it can.

In the case of the US and Afghanistan and the case of the US and Iraq, I think it is like the Marine, who cannot speak but a few phrases in Arabic, trying to act as his own translator. Eventually, it all works out, but it is a long and arduous process. From a position of strength, he tries to do what is best by the Iraqi and in the process fumbles good intentions that become mistaken as something devious.

I am confident that the spirit of cooperation will prevail and that the end will eventually justify the means.

Well, more will surely follow.

Semper Fi,
m