virgin islands scene

First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.
-- Mahatma Gandhi
 

 

Monday, June 22, 2020

Goal of understanding

The point of any discussion is not to amplify disagreement. The point of a discussion is to move in the direction of understanding.

The goal of communication is not to get every person to adopt one particular view or another. The goal is to arrive at an outcome that takes all views into account.

You do not win by shouting the loudest. You win by building mutual respect, civility, and cooperation.

You do not win by making someone else look foolish or hypocritical. You win by reducing the incentive for anyone to act with foolishness or hypocrisy.

Every person is a bundle of assumptions, and no one’s assumptions are all completely accurate. The most fruitful, value-creating interactions occur when there is genuine acknowledgement, on all sides, of that reality.

Understanding improves the quality of life for those who seek it and engage in it. With humility, with empathy, with respect, let that be your goal.

— Ralph Marston

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