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Our willingness to communicate will either strengthen or weaken our relationships. Let me see if I can express a few examples and you tell me if I'm on track.

An obvious example to use is a married couple. The early stages of this life-long commitment usually starts out with pure, good, workable intensions - an agreement on whether or not this will be a two-income situation or if one spouse will be a homemaker; this truly becomes a time of intense conversation. Along the lines of employment, will there be separate bank accounts, or will we strike a joint account? Do we buy a house now, or do we wait until the first child arrives?

Another setting is the employer/employee scenario. In all likelihood, your choice of a particular workplace indicates you showing your capabilities and your personal ambitions. As you assume your position, what are you offering? Are you willing to put your agenda aside and work with the rest of the staff?

You and your supervisor may have a personality clash, but can you overlook this in the attempts to further the department's mandate? Are you able to give honest, open suggestions at the weekly staff meetings, or do you try and push your own ideals?

On a daily basis, we rub shoulders with many different types of people who have their own thoughts and ideas and practise their own religious beliefs. Do we care how they think and feel, or do we try and change them to be more like us? In my view, a personal discussion on a particular belief opens the door to some intriguing revelations of an individual.

As we allow dialogue to be a normal avenue, we learn very quickly about ourselves.

We may find out painfully that we did harbour some prejudice and hopefully we will do something about it earnestly. As we talk openly with all who cross our path, there is always the hope that these conversations are honest, and are not influenced by outside interference.

There is so much more to write on communication but let me remind you to always be considerate and think before you speak.

Once the words leave your mouth, you can never take them back and the consequences could be devastating both to you and to whom the words are directed.

• Harry Maksagak is a Cambridge Bay resident and former underground miner at the Lupin gold mine. He has been married for 38 years and has six children and 26 grandchildren