The double nature of some human beings baffles me. This poem of mine published by Vox Poetica is about that.
If you are in the mood to read something uplifting, feel free to check my two poems published in the winter issue of the Greensilk Journal. I'm sure you will be tempted to read the other poets' work too.
Today I wrote something about "problems".
Even though we may be prone to feel irritated or frustrated when we encounter certain problems that challenge our beliefs, we can also choose to adopt a different attitude: we can welcome these problems and treat them as unique opportunities to learn something new. We can embrace them with a positive mindset.
Problems are challenges that invite us to think of creative solutions.
They can encourage us to ask questions.
From my own personal experience in the workplace I conclude that whenever problems are a consequence of conflicts related to communication in human relationships there are three elements that are relevant to handle these situations:
-the art of listening
-the art of non-judgmental persuasion
-the art of negotiation
The goal of this post is to emphasize that a problem may have the potential to improve something. This does not always happen, though. Sometimes we know there are boundaries that we cannot trespass, no matter how hard we try to make things better. There are situations that are out of our control, and our scope of action is limited. However, we can accept these situations knowing that we have tried our best. And these unique situations may have taught us something about ourselves, others, or the world we live in.
I will publish my next blog post on March 5.
Congratulations,Julia.You created three spectacular poems. I admit I read them more than one time to pay attention to the beauty of their description. My favorite one is "The Salt of Wisdom", I love how good you created the words to describe the life .Life can be so cruel and hard but also can give us the opportunity to re-growth again. Beautiful and meaningful post! MS
ReplyDeleteThanks, MS.
DeleteI never know what people will like or how my poems will touch them. I write what I write and then the poems have a life of their own. Thank you for reading them and for leaving a comment.
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteI have returned from perusing your prose. Your words, like the Miracle of Water, immerse the soul with your words of thoughtful articulation.
The art of listening. Of making reflective statements and receiving confirmation back that your reflections spoke of the meaning intending by another.
Unique situations can teach us about ourselves and others. Thank you for such an enlightening post, Julia.
In peace,
Gary :)
Thank you, Gary. You teach me a lot about the art of listening.
DeleteYour spiritual energy is very much appreciated.
I like the way you made problems into challenges. This is a great way to look at it. The next time I feel that there is a problem, I'm going to take a good step back and start to see it as a game (in a sense) that I need to find the solution or answer to. I understand that it may not always work out but at least it would have taken away some of the stress. Thanks Julia.
ReplyDeleteRum-Punch Drunk. I like what you say. Taking a step back. It makes a world of difference. Yes, I've learned to view problems as challenges that need an extra dose of energy and thoughts. Like games, yes. Because life will always bring problems and so we have to accept them and use them to learn something new. It is amazing to think about all the things that we can learn if we open our minds and broaden our perspectives. Thank you for commenting.
DeleteBeautifully put. And may I humbly add but then we are all just human, and while we try and think, ever so often we simply get it wrong. And then, there is the art to forgive mistakes :-0
ReplyDeleteHave a nice Sunday!
Thank you, Angelika. I couldn't agree more with you. Forgiveness. People talk about forgiveness all the time. Yet they hold resentment in their hearts. We can see it through their actions or their indifference. We are judged in unfair ways many times. We are not perfect, we all struggle in many ways. We ALL make mistakes. I let go of resentment and choose to learn from my experiences. If somebody chooses hate... it's their choice. I certainly don't embark on such matters. Life is beautiful and I choose to grow. And those who misunderstand kindness... That is also something that is out of my control...
DeleteHello Julia:
ReplyDeleteWe have discovered you, rather by chance, through the strikingly pertinent comment which you left on the most recent post of 'Rum-Punch Drunk'.
Your remark here that "problems are challenges" is one that we totally endorse and we also concur completely with the suggestions which you make as to how these challenges may be met. That such situations may be turned into something positive, whereby we perhaps not only learn about others but also discover new truths about ourselves, require, as you indicate, an imaginative, creative and open mind. Such a mind, very sadly, in today's world is not always readily to be found.
We have signed as Followers and will look forward to future posts. Should you require to know more about us, then we are only a click away.
Jane and Lance: I read your comment with great pleasure. I love to meet people with open, creative minds.
DeleteThese challenges at work are interesting. But outside the realm of work, things get hazy. I will have to write about this on a future post.
It is good meeting you and I will visit your blog soon.
Taking the time and being able to listen fully to someone is becoming a lost art. Being able to read someone's work without mentally slicing/dicing it up---that, too, is becoming a lost compassion.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan.
DeleteI agree with you.
Listening to somebody with an open mind without rigid patterns of thinking is also rare these days. Some peoples' narrow-mindedness is daunting and disturbing to me.
Thank you for your insightful comment. And welcome to my blog. Enjoy the ride!
Hi Julia. I am finally catching up with reading the posts I’ve missed during the winter storms. Congrats on getting more poetry published! Really loved all three poems. You have such a wonderful imagination that as I was reading “From the Highway” I could envision the wild goose and the dinosaur! The element of water seemed to come alive with a personality of its own in “The Miracle of Water.” What I especially loved about “The Salt of Wisdom” was the last paragraph, the irony of life and the need to thrive.
ReplyDeleteI agree that problems can be challenges inviting us to think of creative solutions. I try to approach problems that way as well. Every now and then, I run across a problem I cannot fix, because the solution is out of my control. I haven’t always been good at accepting that there is nothing I can do in those situations. Over time, though, I have learned that acceptance is the best approach and the one that doesn’t keep you awake at night! There really is an “art” to the three elements you’ve listed, and of the three, I think listening is the most important one.
Thanks, Jersey.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the poems, and I appreciate your thought-provoking comment.
The art of listening is the most important one, but whether we like it or not negotiation has much relevance. It may not have a good reputation, but it keeps the world spinning...