Listening...REALLY listening...

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence. ---- Robert Frost

I am quite disturbed by all of the anger and bitterness being exhibited about health reform...can't we all just get along? We have know since the Civil War that there have always been differences about how much the federal government should be involved in - vs. the States. This is not new. And...I would guess in another 50 years we will be having the same debate. Differences are good...BUT, only when we are willing to listen and learn.

You listen to the "other" and they listen to you. That is how it is supposed to work...then you walk away from each other having learned something, gained insight, became vulnerable to another point of view, and we can agree to disagree...it is OK!!! we don't need to yell at each other, spit at others, use explatives, that is not a civilized society. What are teaching the youth?

We are going backwards in this country with this form of communication. REAL listening requires us to set aside our differences, and hear the other...Stephen Covey: Seek first to understand and then to be understood. You don't have to surrender your values to listen....just create space to learn something, that's all...

Let's try this versus that.