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That is something they specifically asked me about. And yes, I have thousands of them, tens of thousands. And on the odd occasion when someone asks me something I don't have the preprepared response for absolute honesty tumbles out of my mouth before I can stop it. At least with me it's more often seen as a poor attempt at humour rather than deliberately being rude.I have quite a library of memorized mental “scripts” to draw from.
There's a thread in this forum asking "do you think in words or pictures" and I honestly can't describe how my thinking works. I talk to myself inside my head vocally and often there's several simultaneous conversations going on in there at once but that's only a fraction of what's going on. And sometimes I don't even do what most people would consider thinking, answers just pop in to my head by themselves without me needing to ask. I just "know" somehow.According to Temple Grandin, at least, some people think in words, some people think in patterns/mathematics, and some people are visual thinkers. I don’t think I fall into any of these types, but maybe patterns. My thoughts manifest as what I can only describe as an "aroma" or feelings of associations between concepts. Words don’t do the feeling justice. It’s a feeling of the “direction of possible knowing”, the way a dog might catch the scent of something unknown in the air and then track the smell. It's as if my mind creates a complex web of interconnected ideas and impressions, each with its own distinct aroma that I can sense and navigate.
This is also one of the key signs they look for during diagnosis. It seems to take us longer to process verbal language, the actual act of abstraction, than it does most people. I'm a good communicator, in fact one on one I'm a pretty fair con man if I decide I want something. In a conversation with two other people I have no problems. With three other people there starts to be a little bit of lag, it's starting to take me longer to translate all the sounds. Get four or five others together and by the time I've come up with a comment in the conversation everyone else has already moved on and my comment would be out of place.While others seem to effortlessly exchange ideas in a fluid back-and-forth, I often find myself needing more time to process and respond.
I struggle with this one big time. Even with earplugs if I can't see the persons mouth there's no way I'm going to follow what they are saying.Then there's a common hearing problem that we have too, many of us have superb hearing but no filter so we hear everything at once and struggle to focus on a single voice in a crowd.
I feel that one. Part of why I've always been a voracious reader. Figuring out the world through the examples of others in the safety of a book.I have not found ways to share my inner life except when I recognize something written by someone else and I think to myself - yes, that’s it.
Ditto. When I first started having girlfriends a few of them asked me that and it created complete confusion. I was convinced they were playing silly little girl head games with me, how could anyone tell what they're thinking?My wife often would ask me out of the blue "What are you thinking?" At the words, the thought processes would collapse and I could not give her an answer. Even though I hate lying, I eventually learned to answer "nothing" since I couldn't really give an answer.
I rely heavily on being able to see people when I'm talking to them, over the phone I'm half deaf and have to keep asking people to repeat themselves. And video calls aren't a whole lot better but it does help, to really talk to people I need to be in front of them.I struggle with this one big time. Even with earplugs if I can't see the persons mouth there's no way I'm going to follow what they are saying.
I empathize with you having a stroke. I had a cerebellar stroke, this past December. It left me with deficits including intention tremor (right side) and slurred speech. Handwriting and typing were a problem. Things have gradually improved, but the slurred speech is still noticeable when I am tired. Overall, I have been pretty lucky, however.I write fairly quickly, have some issues with spelling due to stroke also have to hunt and peck before stroke could touch type.
I agree that different cultures need different approaches. And my examples were presumed to be the greeting chit chat. Those questions or answers could have different meanings in different contexts.I think that might be a little more difficult in Australia, and Britain too, where a lot of our use of language is very contextual, so depending on context "Have a nice day." can be a genuine sentiment or it can mean "Get out and don't ever come back.".
This contextual format is easier to get the grasp of when you look at our use of swear words, to us they're only rude if being rude was the intent, they're also often used as terms of endearment. But that contextual change of meaning flows through to most of our use of language.
These are very standard greetings and questions that I mostly answer automatically, they're more of a standard protocol than genuine questions and the answers are expected to be generic.Just out of curiosity, are there routine greeting type exchanges? Formalities that are typically used? I'm not saying you use them, necessarily.But in general.
Self-confidence, self-esteem, personal integrity, self-compassion...I'm developing a growing sense of self-compassion, something I haven't experienced before, and it's transformational.
I'm from Sydney too, but down under.Welcome John, I'm from Sydney, Nova Scotia.
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Just as Outdated said:Just out of curiosity, are there routine greeting type exchanges? Formalities that are typically used? I'm not saying you use them, necessarily.But in general.
These are very standard greetings and questions that I mostly answer automatically, they're more of a standard protocol than genuine questions and the answers are expected to begenericpolitically incorrect.
G'day, how'reyou goingthey hangin'?
Pretty good, and you?A little to the left.
How's life treating you?
Can't complain, no one wants to hear it anyway. Bonza, mate. As happy as a sheila with a credit card.
You get up to much on the weekend?
Nah, just kicked back and relaxed with a can of Fosters.
D'ja watch the cricket?
Nah, it's like watching grass grow.Stone the crows, mate, do I look daft?