Posted by ron1953 on August 31, 2004, at 8:04:47
In reply to Re: I suppose everyone had their say » ron1953, posted by gardenergirl on August 31, 2004, at 0:26:30
gg:
You are the last person I expected to hear from, considering the epithet exchange. Good for you - someone who actually has guts (maybe "guts" is really a very apt word for what I mean - something of substance INSIDE). Actually, I was never really upset, just annoyed. Annoyed because I saw what I see too much of every day, in many areas of life. People love to talk but they don't listen very well. When they experience something they don't like, they respond reflexively without bothering to take the time to consider the emotions underlying their reaction; did they really think about what happened and the fact that whatever it was could be interpreted in multiple ways? Did they consider their own beliefs and "filters" before reacting? Did they take a moment to laugh at themselves for having such an instantaneous negative reaction? Did they consider that the "other side" just might have an interesting and possibly useful point?
You could say, "Gee, Ron, it was only a little thing about grammar". The subject doesn't matter. What matters is communication and more importantly, self-awareness. All of the big misunderstandings start with little ones that escalate. Hence, family discord, divorce, lost friendships, cultural strife, political upheaval, war...... See what I mean? All because we may not listen, truly listen, to the many "voices" in play during any interaction.
Maybe I'm over-sensitive about lousy communication. But all I have to do is pick up a newspaper or watch the evening news to remind me why I tend to be that way.
poster:ron1953
thread:382165
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040830/msgs/384593.html