Those who lived in societies not influenced by Western social philosophy, like Native Americans and other indigenous peoples, often utilized a different approach to communication. The approach they used is designed to facilitate understanding. Conversation and dialogue possess many of the properties of “understanding” communication. The emphasis of “understanding” communication is on listening to the perspective of others.
Meaningful relationships don’t just happen. They require conscious, purposeful thought and action; all we have to do to avoid them is not pursue them. Meaningful relationships also require vulnerability and transparency that exposes us to the possibility of harm and resulting conflict. On the other-hand, that same vulnerability and transparency is necessary to experience the fullness of our humanity and the personage of those with whom we live in community. It’s a DILEMMA! What do we do?
Read MoreThere's a paradoxical conundrum of life sometimes expressed as a homiletic by persons who intentionally and purposefully pursue enlightenment, that phrase goes something like: The more I learn, the less I know.
Read More“Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.” That’s what my Dad used to say. I think he was just trying to be funny, but I suspect there was a modicum of healthy skepticism behind the joke.
Read MorePersons of color, lower socio-economic status, and non-male/non-masculine sex and gender have long experienced oppression by the more powerful. Such injustice transcends time, locale, and ethnicity.
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