Editor’s Note – August

Summer already seems to be coming to an end. The summer brings cousins, family and friends together to spend time. The leisurely long days are accompanied by movies, ice creams and cozy chats late into the evenings. Though mostly they amount to fun times, but sometimes you can see animated conversations turn seemingly aggressive, especially around politics etc. But how quickly things simmer down to normalcy always fascinates me. 

I often wonder why this is so around friends and family – does the innate, respect and understanding that comes with close ties help. Why is it more tricky to have disagreements amongst the external world, even at the workplace. Wouldn’t it be great if we brought that same level of acceptance, understanding and respect to all our conversations. When we receive a different point of view with an open mind, with the intention to listen and understand, it is easier to disagree in a composed and respectful manner. Disagreements are essential to healthy conversations, but the approach must be to agree to disagree respectfully. If everyone agreed all the time, we would probably be leading a rather dull life. So let’s infuse some empathy into our conversations and enjoy differing and interesting points of views.