#seektounderstand

[lifes-little-pin-pricks]

Seek to Understand

I remember a conversation I had with my aunt and uncle. I was driving and hadn’t spoken to them in a long time and figured I’d give them a call. (I had about 50000 hours of driving ahead of me to. Please  note… that is all sarcasm. But… it was a long drive none the less.)

I came across this quote and it immediately reminds me of this conversation. I love my aunt and uncle to the moon! He has been my favorite uncle since I can remember. There are soooooooooo many fond memories I have of him and all of them I treasure.

Age has a way of changing people. The wisdom we get from the people we surround ourselves with and the echo chambers we create to avoid the things that annoy us. Over the years, My Aunt and Uncle changed and so did I. We don’t see eye to eye on everything and that’s fine.  I don’t expect anyone to believe or think the way I do. Actually I think I kind of hope no one does, because my head is quite the burden.

Anyways. I’m all over the place, trying to collect my thoughts to write this and trying not to have Niagara falls spewing from my eyes.

During the call we talked. (Right! Because what else are you going to do on a call? Grunt? Sing? Dance??? … Okay, yeah you can do all of these, but … you get the point)

We talked a lot about the differences we had and I remember being asked if I was recording the conversation.  I had to explain that I was very curious about the thought process, the path that led them to the opinions they had for the topic we were discussing.

I remember the pause I took when being asked, it seemed like a while to me, but it could have just been a millisecond. I was sad. Because in that split second I understood how much people throw accusations and point fingers and judge without ever trying to understand. And it leads us to distrust people who legitimately want to understand.

I may not agree with every topic discussed, that should be okay. I mean. I’m okay with it, Not sure about other people, but it should be okay. We should still be able to be friends, co-exist etc. I don’t need to hate your guts, and we can still have mutual respect. The goal should be ‘Seek to understand’.

So, While we may not agree on everything… When I inquired about the path that lead them to their opinions on the topic we were discussing. It was easier to take a step back and see that – really, we did agree on the topic, just not the journey.  The end goal is still the same, the approach is just different. It was nice to see that part of my aunt and uncle.

In the end… I’m sad that differences push people apart.

[detroityoga]

Always be learning, as well as unlearning. #seektounderstand #burnoffthedeadwood #thatswhatyouthink #socrates #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #eightlimbsofyoga #svadhyaya #niyama4 #sidemountain #parsvatadasana #detroityoga #tostillthemindisyoga (at Detroit Yoga)

[ayearoferewhon]

#Repost @yyela20 ・・・ 🌻 “Be Gentle and Kind.... Spread More Love Around” 🌻 #kindnessmatters #love #heknowsthewaytomyheart #seektounderstand #lovelife❤️

[jherrmannjr]

Be...Do...Have... . . . . . . #bedohave #lpgevolution #seektounderstand #love #perspective #gratitude https://www.instagram.com/p/CGxeQ7dnspY/?igshid=7ybi7fbft50j

[mpmotivational]

Understanding others Is for our benefit. It allows us to reliese anger, resentment and hatred. This is also a powerful tool to consider a perspective that you might not have considered. At anyrate, we need a little bit of humor to survive Monday so here it is. #humor #understanding #mindset #mindfullness #powerful #motiivation #seektounderstand #selfdevelopment #fyp https://www.instagram.com/p/CESWjGYhjzE/?igshid=16sdj6qqz0455

[radearthcrew]

10 things you can do to contribute to internal, interpersonal, and organizational peace. (1) Spend some time each day quietly reflecting on how you would like to relate to yourself and others. (2) Remember that all human beings have the same needs. (3) Check your intention to see if you are as interested in others getting their needs met as your own. (4) When asking someone to do something, check first to see if you are making a request or a demand. (5) Instead of saying what you DON’T want someone to do, say what you DO want the person to do. (6) Instead of saying what you want someone to BE, say what action you’d like the person to take that you hope will help the person be that way. (7) Before agreeing or disagreeing with anyone’s opinions, try to tune in to what the person is feeling and needing. (8) Instead of saying No, say what need of yours prevents you from saying Yes. (9) If you are feeling upset, think about what need of yours is not being met, and what you could do to meet it, instead of thinking about what’s wrong with others or yourself. (10) Instead of praising someone who did something you like, express your gratitude by telling the person what need of yours that action met. The Center for Nonviolent Communicationsm (CNVC) would like there to be a critical mass of people using Nonviolent Communication so all people will get their needs met and resolve their conflicts peacefully. © 2001 Gary Baran & CNVC The right to freely duplicate this document is hereby granted. #seektounderstand #empathy #listen #listening #weareeachothersteachers #peacefulprotest #peacefulorganizing #Garybaran #CNVC #sustainabilityeducation #sustainability #reciprocity #reciprocalrelationships #re #radicalearth https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYGVy0hNTX/?igshid=ee18n922ilei

[thefeliciastarks]

❤ . . #lovedrivesouthate #fitspo #fitfam #seekanunderstanding #seektounderstand https://www.instagram.com/p/CBK-vzqjQ2j/?igshid=x8snitmx97sy

[haveuevr]

#seektounderstand #7habitsofhighlyeffectivepeople #7habits #understandingothers #understandingquotes #understandyourself #understandlife #understandthis #understandinglife #beunderstanding #selfunderstanding #uniqueexperience #uniquepeople #enjoythedifference #thereisadifference #wearealldifferent #differentworlds #differentviews #differentperspectives #differentperceptions #differentpeople #differentisgood #differentcultures #wearedifferent #wearedivine #distinct #distinctive #distinction #haveyouever (at Vancouver, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_-WnTUnB4E/?igshid=g6gphzhkzv2b

[smartin16-blog1]

Do live with love? Or do you live with ego? Living with ego is misery and suffering. #ego #judges #donotjudgeothers #suffering #punishes #love #forgives #heals #alwaysbekind #chooselove #seektounderstand #sacheen (at Kelowna, British Columbia)

[lovereconciled]

What you initially loved about your partner doesn’t have to become the enemy now.

Yes, you are different, but that is okay. If one of you is organized, messy, focused, unfocused, fast, slow; a multi-tasker, or can only focus on one thing at a time – there is a solution. Both of you sit down with paper and pen and write down what you don’t like about each other. Focus on three dislikes and come up with three solutions for each. Implement and practice the solutions immediately to see how they work. If the agreed solutions do not work well, try another one. Bottom line: seek to understand each other, be open, honest, and continuously communicate every day.

💕 Question: What ways are you and your partner opposite and how have you resolved those differences? 💕

[itsninid]

Peacefully she stood 🕊 📷 @photobybrock . . . I've learned that true happiness comes from, not accepting things as they are, but understanding the systems that created that of which we receive. For it's only through understanding that we can move through healing and begin soaring beyond what life has given us to create what the devine desires for us. . . . #peacefulmindpeacefullife #seektounderstand #keepsoaring #SoaringHearts #AlwaysLetYourHeartSOAR #winterphotography #michiganmade https://www.instagram.com/p/B8DB32LBFfG/?igshid=lczlbzqoyzmx

[v8311667]

The toughest thing about introspection is realizing that you are going against the flow, and that it is a wonderful thing. #beauthentic💯 #Seektounderstand #letyourfreakflagfly #letgotogrow🌱 #mynewreality #transformation #selfanalysis #youdoyoubooboo #yogi #yoga #yogapath #yogaahhwithvanessa #savageunicornyoga🦄🌌🕉 (at Niceville, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvNxBLLFyiH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ao4s7mi3z7ux

[sarahzink]

#openmindclosemouth #becurious #seektounderstand #retakeyourpersonalpower https://www.instagram.com/p/BuTla1_HIwC/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ds7gjeedtb7w

[ht80]

Flashback to this early morning; it started with a different route, a different view, better coffee, a take out toastie, a moment to reflect, all before I entered the darkness... learning to look at the world differently today. And how lucky I am to have that choice! . . . #grateful #perspective #empathy #compassion #openminded #openhands #seektounderstand #discomfort #vulnerability (at Docklands, Victoria) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt0RHtYAAw7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9cluyilumpet

[radearthcrew]

Just in case you bump into something that you just don’t understand.... #putyourassumptionsontheshelf #assumptions #privilege #discrimination #stopdiscrimination #seektounderstand #understand #? #socialjustice #ecologicaljustice #sustainability #sustainabilityeducation #re #radicalearth https://www.instagram.com/p/CBVVXCYhq6L/?igshid=nlww7w2qoswr

[all-considered]

Sustainability & Privilege There have been a lot of conversations lately around living sustainably and privilege. Firstly, I think open, honest conversations are *essential*! We are all constantly learning and ideally will keep being open minded, *always*. . Sustainability looks different for everyone depending on where you live. Perhaps it's conserving water because you don't get much rain, or farming in a way that limits soil erosion. Trying to be kinder to the Earth is not about perfection, judgement or fancy keepcups. I think that any efforts to make positive changes for our natural environment should be applauded and encouraged. . Working with our communities to set up more circular or sharing economies, voting for people who care about people and planet, as well as advocating for systemic change are all *hugely important* and yield real, lasting results. On a smaller scale, in places where waste management is terrible and garbage lines the streets and waterways, helping individuals set up small veg patches for the community or giving women menstrual cups are practical ways to lessen waste.  . I fully acknowledge that I am privileged in more ways than one. I want All Considered to be a space for us to learn and grow together. I’m excited to connect with people all over the world and expand my understanding and the information I share in this space accordingly. I am, of course, speaking about things from my own perspective for now, so there will be occasional pictures of a keepcup, but I am definitely not saying that this is the only way to be kinder to the planet. 😜 . I'd love to know your thoughts on this- please comment below or send me a DM. :) Peace out lovely people. 🌍❤ . . . #bekind #peopleandplanet #privilege #seektounderstand #sustainability #systemicchange #differentperspectives (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtWOC49nudl/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=yq98860lqvil