"When you really listen to another person from their point of view, and reflect back to them that understanding, it's like giving them emotional oxygen." -- Stephen Covey
At times as human beings, we are unfortunately more involved in business of correcting others than we are in deeply peering into their world of struggle and discomfort, seeing their perspectives, and validating their experiences. I think we tend to do this because we are often so sure that our worldview mirrors reality, and the worldview of others is somehow lacking.
One of my favorite books in called the Invisible Gorrilla by Simons and Chabris, two distinguished research and cognitive psychologists who explored who whole field of inattentional blindness and how we often don't see the world the way it really is.
So how does this related to my own field of language learning and intercultural studies?
The more my students explore, and at times, embrace new perspectives about fellow students from different countries, the more they can see that there is not just one "correct" way of doing things. They then demonstrate a greater capacity to shower generosity, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness in so many new ways. Simply said, this new understanding expands their vision of others and has a rippling effect across cultural boundaries.
In the end, everyone is enriched because of this new learning.
Unfortunately it is very common today to people just say and do not hear what other people say, and it is bad because you are hiding other point of view, and at the same time you are making him or her constranged.
ReplyDeleteSo, my opinion is that we really have to hear what other people say to us, but there is a way how all of us have to have to express an opinion: an argument, and based on it we have to introduct, develop and finish in a good way that makes people understand. The only thing that I totally disagree is when people do not know what they are saying, and then you tell them that it is not true and they tell you that you are wrong. The real fact is that these people cannot see what are in front of them, and it will mess up their lives...