It ishard to change our point of view in a conflict. Most often, it is because weare not nearly as interested in resolving the conflict and possibly creatinga new ‘pearl’ as we are in being right.
It iswith our brothers and sisters that we learn to love, share, negotiate, startand end fights, hurt others, and save face. The basis of healthy (orunhealthy) connections in adulthood is cast during childhood.
Thetorment of human frustration, whatever its immediate cause,is the knowledge that the self is in prison, its vital force and ‘mangledmind’ leaking away in lonely, wasteful self-conflict.
Neverforget the power of silence, that massively disconcerting pause which goes onand on and may at last induce an opponent to babble and backtrack nervously.
To effectivelycommunicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceivethe world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication withothers.
