🫂 Moving from disbelief to empathy
Book of TREE 1.74
Imagine learning some truth about another person and that truth doesn’t fit your own life experience. What would your initial response be?
Mine is to
disbelieve them,
think of reasons why what they are saying can’t be true,
present explanations for why they are wrong,
do whatever it takes to shut down the cognitive dissonance.
I’m learning, slowly, to keep my initial response to myself so that I can listen and learn and formulate a better response. I’ve been around for half a century. I’ve lived a few places and through a few things and seen some shit go down. And if I’ve learned anything from it all, it’s that my individual life experience barely scratches the surface of reality. Truth is so much bigger than I know.
Working to increase the speed at which you move from disbelief to empathy will help you be more curious and creative. Bonus: you’ll be a nicer person to spend time with.
Remember when Beck and his dad reimagined Bowie’s Sound and Vision with 157 musicians and singers?
Grow slowly
Jeff
If they believed in what they said then it was true, they were speaking their truth. This is why wherever man gathers there will be discussion and disagreement, for we all want the World to hear our truth. (This is a summary from a longer piece written on the subject) A..S.
Having counseled many through the years, I’m often surprised. I am amazed by the way we can respond to life in numerous ways. I too, prefer to listen and respond, not react. But that is a daily practice. Even a fool appears wise when quiet😉