On communication

This post ties in particularly well with the one preceding it; the notion of communicating peacefully with those we fail to accept or understand tends to involve moving beyond the comfort zone. 

Principle- Communicate with others to gain greater understanding.

Communication is key to acceptance because communication provides understanding. Here, understanding does not at all imply a complete, comprehensive knowledge of a given person or lifestyle- in truth, while a goal, that is not necessary for acceptance. Instead, understanding simply means that which is encompassed by the topic at hand. it is this most basic understanding that can pave the way for greater understanding- but even for that basic understanding, effective communication is required.

So in effect, one problem with understanding is communication. Just as people are not willing to accept, they are not willing to understand. Just as they are unwilling to understand, they are unwilling to even communicate in some cases.

This is a separate entity from those who genuinely can’t communicate, on account of missing vocal cords and the like. No, this lack of communication, the kind of lack that stems from a refusal to communicate, rather than the inability, is what needs to be remedied. One can not even agree to disagree, let alone accept, if one refuses to communicate. One cannot realize that there is no true reason for opposition, if one does not communicate- so often mere misunderstandings can be taken for hatred or some other more detrimental force and therefore incite generations of bad blood/unnecessary suffering, all over a nonissue.

The idea here is simply to avoid unnecessary conflicts by communicating clearly and effectively in a non-confrontational manner. Already, there are so many lines that can be drawn that separate people- in the quest for understanding, for acceptance, there is no need to draw more lines simply due to mis- or non- communication.

Think about words and actions. If there are things that cannot be shared, be sure to think about why those things cannot be shared.If the whys tend to be heavily based on observation, one must then weigh those observations- things are not always what they seem. Oftentimes, it's a vicious cycle: a lack of understanding encourages a lack of communication, which leads to a lack of understanding. When refusing to communicate "They're not like us" Is not an acceptable answer.