Don't Quote Me: Open Your Ears Will Ya

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood"

~Steven Covey

I heard this pragmatic excerpt from Steven Covey's highly acclaimed self-help book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Some of Covey's reasoning has to do with the art of giving advice. He says that people shouldn't give advice without fully understanding the scope of someone's problem. It's likely that the advice won't be well received, due to a lack of that continuity. Mastering this skill will greatly aide your ability to communicate and empathize with others.

I see the value in this in more ways than one.

I watched a very enlightening and liberating documentary the other day entitled, Diary of a Tired Black Man. I would recommend it to anyone, but especially to those interested in the controversial and complex dynamic of interracial dating.

The movie emphasizes to me the vital importance of understanding the perspectives, the backgrounds and reasoning of others before making judgments. The movie tries to explains why so many relationships wind up failing, and tells the story from a black man's perspective. (The one that often goes unheard) A lack of mutual understanding combined often times with a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There's much more to it, but I advise you go borrow it from your local library (like me) or movie rental store. It's a good one.

Just as the saying, "think before you speak" goes, I feel this is an extension of it.

Listen up people.