We can't change people but can we learn from them?

Apr '25 • Lightsharing: Share Your Voice

Have you ever been out in a social setting or even in a family setting and you are

talking or making conversation with someone and then you introduce a new topic or

make a statement about something you like.

Instead of the other person just listening with empathy and compassion, they go right into critical evaluation type communication. So lets say you mention that you like something and the other person says, "oh I hate that." or "I would never want to do that because ...."

It's not wrong to have alternative opinions but what if our society is getting to focused on the "like" or "no like" algorithm that social media has set up for our brains?

What are the repercussions of this? How is it going to affect relating to people?

I've decided to look at this as a learning lab for myself and when people do this to me, I make a post in my journal about it and use it to learn how I can communicate better and if someone is sharing something with me (even if i don't like it for myself) I get to choice how I respond in a compassionate and healthy way.

So seeing examples of behavior patterns that are not conducive to gaining rapport with others is just a part of life and whether it's increasing or decreasing is not in my control. However, others can become good teachers of what not to do or how NOT to treat people or communicate etc. etc. .

What things have others done that helps you to see clearly the difference of what and how you would handle things if the situation were reversed?

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