"A person hears only what they understand." - Goethe
When it comes to listening to other people, we hear words but often twist them in our minds so that we comprehend those words in the best way we can understand. Sometimes we don't realize that we've twisted what was said into a different definition. Hence, arguments, wars, discrepancies, misunderstanding, miscommunication, etc.
It isn't that a person is ignorant or stupid and can't understand what's been said. It's just that how we've been brought up and what we've experienced influences what we hear. That's why racism and sexism exist. Actually, racism only exists in the minds of people who think coming from separate countries determines superiority. Sexism only exists in the minds of people who think what's between our legs determines who is the better sex. We live by what we best understand, by our beliefs, and by our personal levels of knowledge. We all grow up with our own sets of values, and oftentimes that is why we can't comprehend other people's behavior. "Good" and "bad" is arguable because we define things differently.
Goethe's one sentence basically summarizes how our world works, and how our minds disrupt and prevent peace.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment