What's unsaid is as important as what is said

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gifted the world with the most famous person who never lived. Sherlock Holmes, the consummate private detective, solved puzzles not only by finding clues, but by noticing what was not there.

In the 1892 short story "Silver Blaze," Holmes solved the case by observing "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time". What did the dog do? The dog did nothing. Something was missing. The dog did not bark. That clue, or rather lack thereof, meant that the criminal was known to the dog.

I've been thinking quite a bit about that dog recently after seeing numerous entities in our community leave out information when communicating with the public. Something seems to be missing.

A large postcard I received in the mail promoting a candidate for office in my district had the usual laundry list of positive sound bites: service to constituents, good schools, community engagement, job opportunities. However, we all know that the two major parties differ widely as to what constitutes any of those points, much less how to pay for them and implement programs. To which party did this candidate belong? No clue. No mention of party affiliation on either side of the 6-by-11-inch card.

After a little research I was able to determine that this is probably the candidate for which I will vote. Heck, I'll even stick a campaign sign in my yard for this person. Just don't leave out the single most important factor that I'll use in the decision making process when I vote.

Did you see the posters for the fundraiser at a local brew pub? Seems a local group that helps people in crisis was holding an event to help finance their program. I'd never heard of them, but their rote promotional missive made them sound so very sincere and helpful. They only left out two teeny, tiny bits of information: They don't give people in crisis complete information and they've recently changed their name. Makes me wonder why they had to do that. Perhaps too many people realized their "help" was woefully incomplete?

As the St. Cloud area continues to grow, we've built houses and apartments, retail and service business, churches and schools, roadways and parks. Most businesses use signage to identify themselves to give passersby a clue as to what's inside. I've never seen a retail or service location just marked Store. It's always Bob's Shoe Store or Carol's Nail Salon. Until recently churches and other places of worship identified themselves this way also. The type/branch/denomination of the congregation was clearly visible. Lately, however, we've seen an influx of worship spaces that give no indication of their affiliation. They are a "community church" or a "Christian center." Is there some reason they don't want to be identified with their umbrella organization? Why hide the one thing that sets you apart from other faiths?

These are a few examples I've noticed lately. I'm sure you could think of more.

It behooves all of us to examine the information we receive from entities in the community and ask ourselves, "What is missing? What aren't they telling me?"

And, most importantly, ask yourself, "Why?"

— Times Writers Group member Karen Cyson is a child-care provider in Stearns County and the coordinator for Central Minnesota Mensa. Her column is published on the third Sunday of the month.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: What's unsaid is as important as what is said