anotherlook

The crash of the stock market, the American economy, the bailout of the banks and the car industry, the arrogance of the Governor of Illinois, the Mumbai attack, the indifference of Dick Cheney, the shoe thrower’s disrespect of Bush, Bush’s disrespect for the American people, the Israel attack of Gaza, the election of the first Black President of the United States Of America – this has been a turbulent, exciting, violent and financially challenging end to 2008. 

What can 2009 offer to top this – time will tell but me personally, I have hope that it has got to get better.  I also hope that I am not disappointed in hoping for better.

These last few months of 2008 have taken me on a seesaw ride of emotions and while on the one hand, I feel alive with the emotions, on another level, these emotions have been more feelings of sadness and concern for the direction the world is taking and I can’t help feeling that in my entire live, things have not seemed this bad. 

Now that we are all sitting at the table, let us open up the lines of communications and remember that communications is a two way street but a four way transaction.  

Listening – in any dialogue, listening is the key to hearing the concerns, requests, feelings, thoughts and despairs of others. 

Analyzing – analyze the information you have received in a way that shows empathy and understanding of the totality of the situation because only in understanding the totality of cause and effect, are issues truly resolved.  

Verbalizing – communicate in an open, honest and trusting manner so that the issues you have will be heard in the proper context and can be dealt with in a manner that will be most effective. 

Action – based on all that is said, the non-biased evaluations made and the need to alleviate the problem, take action towards that goal. 

LAVA – Listening, Analyzing, Verbalizing, Action - for all of you who have seen lava and the destructive force of it, understand and witness to, how the lack of lava in communications creates the destructive force of the molten rock that hardens the heart of man.

No one wants to take the time to discuss issues with Hamas; it is easier to say they are terrorist and therefore not worthy of dealing with or listening to, it is easier to discount them and their words. 

But when you begin to discount people who may have a concern, that for them is serious, then you generate ill will and ill will leads to what we have been seeing in the world, to the extreme, in the last few months. 

The time for change is upon us as human beings, as connecting forces in the world.  How will we make 2009 better than 2008 - only time will tell, but that responsibility is on each of us. 

Happy New Year 

And that’s the way I see it.