It is a luxury to be understood. --Ralph Waldo Emerson?

Question

I believe that understanding or lack of it rather is one of the biggest problems in the world today. If people were to be more opened minded and listen to others and to try to understand exactly what they are trying to communicate, then we would have a better world. I see people blasting others with their utterances, but not listening to what each other are saying. It saddens me.

If there was one thing you could change about the world, what would it be?

Answer 1

The very presumption is wrong.....( you could change about the world...). In fact that is the root of all the world`s problem. The moment you employ yourself as the guardian of the world and try to change the world you have lost touch with the reality and nobody will understand you.

You cannot change the world . Why world? You cannnot change your father, mother , son , daughter, friend ...... You can chnage only YOU . That is it.

Touch your heart and tell us whether or not you are grouping together people and judge them totally. "That religion? Yes. All in that religion are terrorists". "This country people? all of them are barbarians" This is the way the world goes. You should read the boook "Blink" .

So, where is the question of understanding? We have already pre prepared ourselves with our preset views. In 5 out of 10 cases we regret for having misjudged the persons after we talk to them . By then out guilty conscience pricks us.

If there is one thing that I can change about the world is to change my LOOKING GLASS.

Answer 2

People misunderstand each other because each one is unique. Any two people can only understand each other to a certain point, no matter how reliable that understanding is. Each person brings a unique set of experiences to any exchange, and so will have unique sets afterward. While they can have a well enough understanding to communicate, the ideas themselves have to be constructed in one's own mind.
Words are just the frame for these ideas, and cannot convey a complete and total idea.
Now that is assuming perfect communication...

But more toward your question, In the end, people only hear what they want to hear, and see what they want to see.

Answer 3

Well so many perspectives get recycled. It's easy to understand people when they speak clearly. And if they cannot, then I don't know how I'm supposed to interpret something that they themselves don't know well enough to articulate.

I'd wish for a wikipedia-like website to direct people's attention to the debate, but it already exists.

More radically, I wish we could find the neural correlates of consciousness and the technological ability to implement it to increase our ability to interact and reason, to expand our bodies, desires, and pleasures and truly evolve in a matter of years, rather than eons.

Answer 4

good question