Look at Ferguson. Look at NYC. Look at Florida. Look at Cleveland. Look all around. Now, look in the mirror. What do you see? What type of person is looking back at you? Is it a person who cares, or a person who doesn’t give a damn? What part do you play in educating our society and unifying our communities?
Let’s understand something — different people react differently to the same situation. That is a fact of life. We each respond to people, situations, and events, based on our view of them. Since our views are not the same, neither are our responses.
Our view of a situation or a person is filtered by the many dimensions of who we are and what we feel about: race, ethnicity, culture, gender, age, socio-economic status, thinking style, upbringing, life experiences, background, health, education, personality, sexual orientation, IQ, EQ, health, religion, politics, values, morals, beliefs, emotions, expectations and needs.
When most people look at a chunk of marble, they see a rock. When a sculptor looks at that same piece of marble, he or she sees the statue it could become. The piece of marble is the same, but the experience of it is totally different.
Often in life situations and these complicated social issues, the other person has a view very different than ours. The more we can understand the other person’s view and get them to understand ours, the sooner we find ‘common ground.’ And maybe, just maybe, we can stop the violence, stop the hatred, stop the prejudice, stop the disrespect, and stop the insanity of it all.
People who are effective and people who stay mentally and emotionally healthy, are people who ‘stop’ and manage their emotions, ‘think’ rationally, and ‘choose’ wisely when dealing with any situation and any type of person. There is way too much at stake to be a reactive person. Proactive people are empowered people, and empowered people are peaceable people.
The goal should be peace, love, joy, understanding, good health, healing, happiness, empathy, prosperity, unity and faith. It’s time to wake up America. Communication is the key. Let’s talk about what you see, and let’s talk about what I see. The journey continues…
Troy Cicero, President and Chief Skill Officer of MulticultuReal Communications, Inc. is a dynamic, engaging and highly effective consultant, speaker, facilitator and trainer with two decades of professional services to businesses in various corporate industry, education, government and non-profit organizations. Affectionately known as America’s Chief Skill Officer, Troy is a training pioneer and emotional intelligence strategist, whose ‘Build Bridges, Not Walls’ mantra has created a portfolio of expertise in diversity & inclusion, cultural competence, leadership development, conflict resolution, service excellence, team building, stress management and motivational speaking. More @ http://www.MulticultuReal.com
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