Let’s face it, people will never understand each other.

Men and women, old and young, those are just the extremes. What about the roommate sitting in the same room with you now? Or your life partner, or sibling.

Some people, for any number of reasons, can’t fake the slightest effort towards mutual understanding. Others, meanwhile are great at showing they understand, and whether we realize it, they’re actors (some even professionally). I know what your thinking, although that’s not a bad thing.

But even the very best of them can not understand another person. The scope is too large. In other words, understanding would have to mean knowing too much. The experiences. The past emotions. The trauma.

The vast composite, of which we usually only discover a small percentage, makes understanding impossible.

Let me interject now that this is more of a Des Carte look-at-the-good-side point than an existensialist plea to barter my sanity.

The good side: as with anything, trying is a learning experience.

But what can we learn?

Those people who are truly good at showing understanding, the kind of people who can “look right through you,” what do they do?

They relate.

All those experiences, emotions and trauma are real for many of us, but in different frequencies and forms.

Some of them are negative, and by nature are buried deeper. These are the hurtful moments, and at times they can make the desire to relate vanish.

But there are good ones as well. like the experience of traveling, or learning something. All of it can be related to, a connection between two people who’s composite make-ups are nothing alike.

The more unique (memorable) experiences we have, the more we can relate to those who have had the same ones.

So leave the country, or start a business. Maybe even do something illegal (not advocated).

Somewhere down the road, you’ll be able to relate.

You might not really understand others, but you’ll be better for it.