“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply,” Stephen Covey, American author and educator said.
This statement is certainly true! We need to open our ears and listen to what everyone has to say about concerning topics. The key to being a better community is to be aware of our differences and to respect others’ opinions and beliefs.
We get so wrapped up in our own lives and beliefs that we start to become self-involved and ignorant to others’ lives and beliefs. We are all segregated by whatever makes us different as individuals. Ignorance of other people’s perspectives is causing tension and causing some to feel small and belittled.
We as editors in Journalism are friends, yet we disagree at times too. Sometimes we do not realize that the things that we say may offend someone simply because we are ignorant of their experiences in society.
Concerning the police, one person may have had only positive experiences, while another may have had negative ones. When the person shares their negative experience, the other person may think they are exaggerating because they can’t possibly believe the kind police officers they know would do that. The first person could then become offended that they don’t believe them, or that they are siding with the harsh police officer.
This is how arguments start.
The truth is, both people are right. Having differing experiences causes us trouble in understanding one another, but once we actually listen and educate ourselves, we become more understanding and more sensitive to people’s feelings and their stories.
As stated in an untitled photo, “Maturity is not when we start speaking big things. It is when we start understanding small things.”
Listening can really get us a lot of places, but so can trying to actively fix problems.
Speak up. But speak up in a way that is positive, powerful, and effective. We really need to pay attention to the events going on in the world, and when we see something going on that should not be, we need to step in reasonably and try to help sort it out in a positive way, rather than just walking away or ignoring the issue.
Many of us tend to judge one another based off of looks, social status, and opinions. We rarely pay attention to the facts, statistics, or opposing side. Previous history has divided us as a nation in many ways. We separate ourselves into cliques, by race, by gender, and by sexuality. But we can change that.