Respecting People's Opinions And Feelings

Respect is reciprocal

I am sure many of us have heard the above popular quote. Yes, everyone wants to be respected, but in your own capacity, how much respect do you give to others? Respecting others also includes respecting their choices, their emotions, their opinions and their feelings. It is true that you may not agree with every of their opinions, and you may not even like their methods, but you should also respect them. Remember, the idea is not to agree to their opinions but to welcome the opinions.

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You have to realize that everyone has their own emotions and the world does not revolve around only your own opinion. Other people's opinions also matter to them as much as your own matters to you. As a matter of fact, opinion is a free gift that is delivered to everyone, so do not prevent someone from using their own. What they say may not make meaning to you and may even negate your belief, but it does not make them automatically wrong. You need an extensive amount of maturity to be able to understand that you can be wrong and someone else can be right.

That someone does not do things your way or does not follow your methods does not mean that they are on the wrong path. The truth is that both of your can be right in your opinion without anyone imposing their own on anyone. Just to let you know; something that appears as letter "6" to you will look exactly like letter "9" to someone that is looking from the opposite direction, so you see why you need to welcome other people's opinions. More so, you should understand that there are more to life than just your opinion, and you need to see the world from a broader view. Now, one may wonder how to respect people's opinions so as not to hurt or hamper their feelings and emotions.

1. Approach people with an open mind

When approaching people or when engaging them in a discourse, you should be open to welcome what they have to say without sounding outrightly judgemental. Before judging their opinion, take a pause for a while and think "what if you're wrong?" You do not have to be straitjacketed into believing that your own opinion is the best or you have the absolute repository of knowledge. Of course you can be wrong. The truth is that people will know when you are being rigid with your opinion and when you are employing flexibility.

2. Learn to listen

More often than not, most people just listen in order to reply, not because they want to understand. You should learn how to listen critically for details. It is saddening that in this era, the art of critical listening is almost going into oblivion. What many people want is just to shove their own opinion down other people's throat without even hearing their own view of the world. Many people just hear without listening. When someone is making a point, do you only hear to know what to say and make arguments, or do you listen to understand their point? Just to let you know; listening does not have an age limit. As an elder, you can listen and welcome the opinion of a kid.

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3. Seek to know more

The more you know, the more you value knowledge and the more you can welcome opinions from people. This is why it is easier to communicate an intelligent opinion with a knowledgeable people than someone with an empty mind. If you have ever argued with an uninitiated that claims to have know but they don't know, you will understand how tiring it can be. So you see, your propensity to be more welcoming to other people's opinion increases with your increase in knowledge. This is why you should keep seeking to understand more. More so, everyone has something to teach, but it takes an open mind to be able to welcome their opinion.

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