UNDERSTANDING OTHERS

"Live in the draft of an open mind." 

~American Proverb ~

Without a willingness to understand where other people are coming from, we are bound to find ourselves at odds with those around us on a regular basis. If we have to win and want others to lose, if we insist on being right, if we are unbending and inflexible, then we will suffer.
     Living with compassion and courtesy is so much more comfortable than contempt and confrontation, and yet, so many of us so frequently bang against others with our stubborn refusal to hear and understand. But there's room for us all, and validity to more than just our own isolated perspective, so it would benefit us greatly to learn how to consciously listen.

I listen with care and make a sincere effort to understand what's actually being said. I am open and receptive to other people's point-of-view.