Miscommunication is one of my biggest pet peeves.

Seriously, miscommunication is one of those things that is so blatantly unnecessary and easy to solve, yet we -- as a society -- still seem to have an incredibly difficult time handling it. In fact, one of the most celebrated literary figures in Western history, William Shakespeare, uses it regularly in his writing as a plot device.

What is it about communication that is so difficult for us? In theory, it should be as easy as sitting down, spewing a bunch of ideas at someone, having some back-and-forth so they understand, and moving on. Obviously that’s not the case. The bigger problem with that is that communication is part of our everyday lives: Business emails, telephone calls, discussing relationship issues, media, etc., etc.

If we can’t communicate with other people properly, how do we even function? Forget professionally, I mean even in our personal lives? I have seen terrible communication put an end to some pretty great opportunities and relationships, and, frankly, it’s just heart-breaking.

Just the other day, one of my friends told me that it wasn’t going to work with this guy that she had been interested in. They had been trying to make a relationship work for a while now, but it didn’t happen. They did everything that most people would do, but that was kind of the problem. They played that whole cat-and-mouse game: Playing "hard to get," and making assumptions about what the other wants without putting in the effort to actually talk to each other.

As much as I love my friend, it was frustrating to listen to. It boggled my mind that they wouldn’t just talk to each other. If they had just sat down one day and asked each other what they wanted from the relationship, it might have worked out. Instead, the entire thing was just a shitstorm of assumptions, accusations, drunk texts, and an adult game of "chicken."

Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely no communication guru; there are some things I really need to be more vocal about. However, simple things like still not knowing if someone wants to be in a relationship with you, despite the fact that you’ve been skirting around the topic for almost a year, should definitely not be a thing.

It’s taken me a long time to be vocal about what I want, so I know it takes practice. Hell, I spent the first 18 years of my life being a literal and figurative punching bag for my siblings and my parents because I was too afraid to say anything about it. I know it’s mind-numbingly taxing to communicate sometimes, especially if you think the other person won’t listen. However, there is vast difference between knowing that the other person won’t respond to you out of experience, and just assuming that they won’t because you’re too apprehensive to even try.

Just a few minutes of talking can go a long way, I promise, so get talking and bug the crap out of your significant other, or friends, or whoever you wish! Hopefully they respond, and if not, then you can always try cruel, psychologically scarring pranks like my siblings and I used to play on each other. They work almost as well as talking, I turned out great *violent twitch*.