Understanding

[existentiallylostdumbell]

To what extent do you think it is possible to understand another person? Post answers below, Domo Arigato

[ItsSammy]

I think it depends on the person, although I can pretty much understand anyone's point of view because I enjoy seeing how others think.

[brycec]

I think it really depends on the person looking to understand and their ability to pay attention to details.

 

People have told me that I am a very understanding person before, but I cannot do it on the spot, due to the masks we humans have, not to mention we live in a society where everyone thinks people are all extroverts and that men, regardless of disability or ailment, are not as vulnerable as women and that they are stronger than women.

 

So, as long as those stereotypes are in place, it will not be possible.

 

However, if you can acknowledge the obvious weaknesses in statistics, and realize that humans are all basically the same psychologically, then it would not be too hard.

 

Unfortunately, right now, reading fiction that is written well is the only way to truly understand others.

[ItsSammy]

People have told me that I am a very understanding person before, but I cannot do it on the spot, due to the masks we humans have, not to mention we live in a society where everyone thinks people are all extroverts and that men, regardless of disability or ailment, are not as vulnerable as women and that they are stronger than women.

 

So, as long as those stereotypes are in place, it will not be possible.

 

I agree with this, it seems everyone hides who they truly are due to the expectations of the society we live in ... I can't say I'm any different since I'm never without a mask of my own, but I can pick up one other peoples real meanings quiet well even if they're hiding behind a mask.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Guest

[brycec]

I agree with this, it seems everyone hides who they truly are due to the expectations of the society we live in ... I can't say I'm any different since I'm never without a mask of my own, but I can pick up one other peoples real meanings quiet well even if they're hiding behind a mask.

It is kind of easy, but a lot of emotions and behaviors can crop up for different reasons.

 

I am glad you did not bring up the "put yourself in the other person's shoes" thing, since you are still you, and you will only think you know what the person has to deal with.

[ItsSammy]

It is kind of easy, but a lot of emotions and behaviors can crop up for different reasons.

 

I am glad you did not bring up the "put yourself in the other person's shoes" thing, since you are still you, and you will only think you know what the person has to deal with.

 

Exactly, I can only come at a conversation with an open mind to try and understand instead of judging.

[existentiallylostdumbell]

People are complicated, we all live different lives and see with different eyes. We have different bodies, experiences and temperaments. We get to know people and form relationships, but that is only through what we see with our eyes, and in the end, that's only a sliver of the other persons life. We cannot know what another thinks, we cannot know what they have seen even if they describe it to us, or we see it in a video as they may have seen it differently. We can empathise, we can try, we can observe behaviour, but that is all we can do. To that end, I think it may very well be impossible to understand someone. Perhaps at best we can come to understand a part of them, but we will never understand the whole. 7.5 billion different lives, 7.5 billion worlds, 7.5 billion perspectives. Naruto Shippuden posed this question briefly and then failed to address the complications of it, that was literally the second half of the show.

[Orius]

It's tough enough understanding people when face-to-face. The task is made even more difficult online with the gap between us.

 

I think it takes a certain level of trust before you can gain understanding, especially online. Online, since we don't have the ability to see the other person's face (and therefore, his informative expression), we have to rely on our personal experience with the person to know what kind of tone and meaning the person's words might bear. This of course requires the initial trust so that you don't carry unnecessary suspicions that might distort your perspective of that person.

 

Then again, if you're not the judgmental type and give everyone a fair chance to prove themselves, then this probably wouldn't be a problem.

 

When face-to-face, naturally, this becomes easier because the body language is a very useful factor in understanding a person's intent. Just being near a person, you can detect certain vibes he's sending out, whether hostile or otherwise. But of course, human perspectives are incredibly flawed (unless you're some kind of genius sleuth), and I feel like our preconceptions and expectations can more often than not cause misunderstandings, no matter how well we're able to "detect" the expressions and vibes of a person. Our mind jump to conclusions because we think we know better, because logic tricks us into thinking of the most logical answer rather than the correct one, and we get ourselves into silly situations.

 

The human brain is both a marvelous tool... and an incredibly flawed one.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Guest

[brycec]

Exactly, I can only come at a conversation with an open mind to try and understand instead of judging.

 

I certainly agree. Funny thing that opened my eyes to the importance of this were works in the detective, mystery, and crime fiction genre. They mainly deal with investigating things, but the methods utilized by people like Sherlock, Poirot, and others can be applied to any field.

 

People are complicated, we all live different lives and see with different eyes. We have different bodies, experiences and temperaments. We get to know people and form relationships, but that is only through what we see with our eyes, and in the end, that's only a sliver of the other persons life. We cannot know what another thinks, we cannot know what they have seen even if they describe it to us, or we see it in a video as they may have seen it differently. We can empathise, we can try, we can observe behaviour, but that is all we can do. To that end, I think it may very well be impossible to understand someone. Perhaps at best we can come to understand a part of them, but we will never understand the whole. 7.5 billion different lives, 7.5 billion worlds, 7.5 billion perspectives. Naruto Shippuden posed this question briefly and then failed to address the complications of it, that was literally the second half of the show.

 

This is exactly why is it much easier to understand people through fiction. We might not be able to figure out the writer, but the characters are delivered as a whole.

 

We cannot fully understand a person, and that is probably why I do not try to fully understand them, only enough to help them with their problem.

It's tough enough understanding people when face-to-face. The task is made even more difficult online with the gap between us.

 

I think it takes a certain level of trust before you can gain understanding, especially online. Online, since we don't have the ability to see the other person's face (and therefore, his informative expression), we have to rely on our personal experience with the person to know what kind of tone and meaning the person's words might bear. This of course requires the initial trust so that you don't carry unnecessary suspicions that might distort your perspective of that person.

 

Then again, if you're not the judgmental type and give everyone a fair chance to prove themselves, then this probably wouldn't be a problem.

 

When face-to-face, naturally, this becomes easier because the body language is a very useful factor in understanding a person's intent. Just being near a person, you can detect certain vibes he's sending out, whether hostile or otherwise. But of course, human perspectives are incredibly flawed (unless you're some kind of genius sleuth), and I feel like our preconceptions and expectations can more often than not cause misunderstandings, no matter how well we're able to "detect" the expressions and vibes of a person. Our mind jump to conclusions because we think we know better, because logic tricks us into thinking of the most logical answer rather than the correct one, and we get ourselves into silly situations.

 

The human brain is both a marvelous tool... and an incredibly flawed one.

 

Finding the correct answer is difficult in of itself, even if we do not go for the most logical.

 

I do have problems with being judgmental, but I also do not like rewarding people for trying to help people like me for the wrong reasons (e.g. Helping me be more active in the church because that is what they think the Lord wants, instead of trying to actually help), and to keep myself safe.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Guest