Being Understood

Goodness knows why what goes on in my head does so, but I am the one who has to live here, so I’ll deal with it.  Then again I share stuff and they say a burden shared is a burden halved.  So if say 15 people read this then a burdened shared is a burden fifteenth.  So that is another reason I appreciate you reading this as you are helping me.  Makes sense to me anyway.
I have a bit of a problem with sophistication for its own sake.  But then I don’t move in those circles.  I find it is nice to have if needed, but it is not naturally me. 
I wrote about something similar recently with big words.  Last night Merril and I were watching tv.  A guy used an obscure word.  Merril asked me “do you know what that means?”  I didn’t.  So the point being made was meaningless to us.  I have a feeling that if a simpler word was used, there is a good chance more would have understood.
For a long time, I have had the philosophy that the simpler the better.  I definitely prefer that 80 of 100 understand, rather than 40.  I have been in meetings where acronyms were used instead of the whole phrase.  The best I could do was blink as intelligently as I could, as I had no idea what they were talking about.
In that situation I was probably the one who was deficient.  Though I think it is never safe to assume.  Just because everybody else knows does not mean that everybody knows.  It is probably why it is safe when I can, to have someone repeat back to me what I said.  It seems to be a fact of life that what is heard is not always what is said.
There is probably a time and a place when sophistication is needed.   Unfortunately for me in those circumstances what is being said goes right over my head.  It is no doubt best to ask if I can, but where I cannot then I just keep silent.  Opening my mouth gives me away.  I’ll never forget two people discussing something, and one saying that they thought I knew a lot about the subject they were discussing.  The truth is I didn’t, but I just kept my mouth shut and they thought I did.
It seems to me, learning is going from the known to the unknown.  Where I don’t know, I will find out if it is important.  I am a bit of a sponge.  I take in heaps, but if a subject is not really of interest to me then if things start at unknown, I will find something else to do.
I guess it is just the way I am.  If something matters, then I want everyone to access it. They reckon that the easiest way to make a friend is to get them talking about themselves.  Everyone loves to talk about themselves and that is the easiest way to find out what is important to someone.  When I am talking, the best way I know how to maximize being understood, is to put something in such a way that the most people can understand it.
Then again, some of the things I say may only ever make sense to me.