If you have ever known someone who it is just impossible to have a proper conversation with, then you will relate to the quote by Stephen R Covey: “Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply.” When I first read this I thought how well such a
Category: Adult
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere
Justice means “respecting the rights of individuals” and the opposite of that is oppression. Human beings have the greatest oppression against themselves, for as long as they do not know themselves they do not understand the power they have. The interstellar space and the silence between musical notes is a vacuum. We can only sense material
The massive exodus of Africans; A shame to our continent
At Least a Million Sub-Saharan Africans Moved to Europe Since 2010,Sub-Saharan migration to the United States also keeps growing. Statistics from the World Bank, show that the main cause of that African mass migration is poverty. A literal move for greener pastures. That exodus is a Calvary for most of those dream chasers; they risk
“Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” –Stephen R. Covey
What has really the world come with nowadays? Everywhere endless arguments, with nil outcome. Why is it happening? Ever wondered? Let’s create some hypothesis. Maybe because of the stunted or rigid attitude of beings toward each other or maybe the word “no acceptance” has hurdled the sense of understanding, what others try to convey. Communication
The Texas Rangers Bank Fraud Scam and the Dark Side of Listening
Last week, my eighty-year-old mother returned from an errand to find a message on her answering machine. The message was from a representative of the Texas Rangers. In the course of investigating a bank fraud case, the caller said, the Rangers had discovered that my mother’s bank accounts had been compromised. The caller left a
The Importance of Listening
“Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Stephen R Covey The answer is yes, most people. Often people listen to what a person is starting to convey to them, they recognise the subject, they start to ponder upon their own opinion regarding the subject of which
Crime and the Logic of Social Organisation
It is believed that the 19th century French poet, novelist and dramatist, Victor Hugo (1802-1885), once opined: “he who opens a school door, closes a prison”. In his well-known text, Les misérables[1], Hugo also wrote that to “destroy the cavern [of] Ignorance” is to “destroy the lair [of] Crime”[2]. Considered together, these statements carry three
The World We Know
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” – Martin Luther King Jr. is a statement which is true, for each of us is a part of the whole spirit of humanity. When one part is injured in some way, some of the synergy (the energy of the entire group) is lost and damaged, making
The Art of Listening
The art of listening is a practice which is an essential aspect of the communication process. I agree that most people listen with the intent of replying rather than understanding. It is of great importance to appreciate the true skill, patience and depth of knowledge that a good listener employs in order to make the
Home or the Sea
“you have to understand, that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land” Home by Warsan Shire In makeshift camps on the French shores of the English Channel; in tents huddled under bridges in central Paris; in portacabin camps in the windswept valleys of northern Greece – scorching
Life Inside and Outside of the School Business
“He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” This quote is by the famous French novelist Victor Hugo . The meaning of this quote does not infer in a literal sense of opening a school door and closing a prison. It is interpreted in a figurative manner as how a person can be given
The safer waters
“You have to understand that no one puts their children on a boat unless the water is safer than the land”. These words were spoken by none other than Warsan Shire, a gifted poet and writer whose works mainly touch on the issues of refugees, immigration and war. Literally, the meaning is quite clear. No
Parents or Gods?
I have always believed that parents are superheroes, and if I thought oppositely I be will accused of disbelieving. So in a way, parents are Gods. Warsan Shire said: “you have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.” This stanza can hold many
Love for your own voice
One thing which has always fascinated me is the human mind and more specifically, the way it functions in social situations. To me as humans, no matter how kind, we are all a little bit selfish (obviously some of us are far more selfish than others), however despite how kind or modest we appear, we
Trappings of survival
It means a branch made of gold, the woman said fondly. She spoke in broken Hindi, her voice soft and hesitant, with an unmistakable Afghani accent. Her gaze turned towards her daughter every few seconds, even though she sat right next to her. The seven-year-old girl had an emaciated face and pale, frightened looking eyes.
Listening in the 21st Century: With ears wide open, but the mind quite shut
The past fifty decades have witnessed unprecedented technological advancement and innovation. From mapping the variegated terrains of our planet through the distant relentless scrutiny of satellites to the mind-boggling array of digital communication channels, we have come a long way. The medusa-head of the internet has cast its tentacles all over the planet and squeezed
Untold stories of the uneducated
According to Victor Hugo, ‘’He who opens a school door, closes a prison’’. He spoke as if systematic instructions were somewhat a palpable sense of emancipation. Well, Education has undeniably propelled the world into eras unimaginable. However, it has set humanity centuries backwards because society has become a prison in itself, impoverished of the things
A Sea of Troubles
“You have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land”-Warsan Shire. The raw intensity of the cruelty that lies within nature is never more evident than when we envision the open ocean. The mysterious depths are filled with what our ancestors thought of as
Education is the focus road to a fulfilled life
Education is the foundation on which an individual stands and gets himself/herself deeply rooted in most of the things that revolves around him/her, both physically, intellectually, socially, religiously etc. One who opens a school door closes the door to prison. This does not really mean erecting buildings as school but one who helps individuals come
We make the sacred profane
Covey writes at an interesting time for humanity. While his quote is taken from a book about personal change, it is also written in the context of effectiveness. Effectiveness can be defined differently depending on one’s context, but this essay focuses on two perspectives: One is of the Responder, and the other is of the