Creating Possibility

"To create a true connection with someone, understand how they experience their world." kc

With all the hurry and scurry of day to day life, it’s wonderful to think a nation can stop for a day to pay homage to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedom we enjoy each day.

As a history teacher when I was younger, I recall the hushed silence as we watched footage of the sacrifice of good men for what they believed in. I can’t watch the moving Gallipoli without wanting to leave the room, knowing the inevitable end. I find it difficult to contemplate how it must have been for them knowing they were in a situation with little hope. Yet, their courage and commitment is now legendary.

I remember speaking to a war veteran a few years ago. Some never want to discuss or revisit what they went through, while others continue to tell the story perhaps in the hope that the telling will have others understand at least something of what it must have been like for them.

What I noticed was that as I allowed myself to hear and see what it was like for him, my perception of him changed. No longer was he someone telling a story. Instead he was a person, who had experienced a lifetime in a moment that he needed to share.

I believe that when we truly ‘step into someone else’s shoes’, and understand how life is through their eyes and ears and hearts, without judgement, our understanding deepens and so does our relationship.

This need for connection is fundamental in all relationships. The gathering after the march is a time when those who have shared the same experiences can be together. They know and understand each other because of what they have gone through together.  The bonds are strong,

To create bonds that last, understand how others experience their world. Not only will they feel understood, your relationship will be deeper and better as a result.