Have you found yourself saying things like:
“I just don’t get why they would do that?
“I don’t understand how they could vote for that person?”
My guess is that you’ve said and heard phrases like that all the time and as the political season ramps up, it’s possible you find yourself scratching your head about a lot of things people say or do?
The key part in those phrases are – “I just don’t get …”, “I don’t understand …””
We are literally saying we don’t understand someone! Our problem is that we don’t take time to understand. Because it hurts us or offends us or contradictory to what we think or believe, we settle for just being upset and maybe confused.
Next time you find yourself upset with someone and saying, “I just don’t understand …” make it a point to do that. Ask, “help me understand why you think that?” “Do you mind if I ask you why you are voting for that person.”
This doesn’t mean we’ll always agree with others, but at the very least we might understand each other better – and that doesn’t seem so bad.
**Eric has his Masters in Counseling and when not on B105.7 works as a private practice counselor.**
Photo Credit: Getty Images/SIphotography
