Less Fear, More Understanding

So, the ultimate goal of communication is to generate better understanding between individuals and publics. It is not necessarily to create agreement though that would certainly be nice. People have their own perspectives, opinions, etc. and that is ok. Despite that, it should not be an excuse to not at least "get" where another person is coming. Effective communicating from all sides - and this includes active listening and mutual respect - can pave the way for genuine understanding. The ultimate result of that is what Edward Bernays mentioned when attempting to define public relations: it creates a harmonious adjustments between publics.

When it comes to understanding, perhaps Madam Curie said it best: "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." With so much shouting at, name calling and stereo-typing within our world, unnecessary fear, in many ways, seems to be having a field day. While I would love for it all stop immediately, as a society we would definitely be on the way to eradicating it if all of us were more dedicated to better understanding that and those which we tend to fear. The question, it seems, is how best to begin making that happen. What role can communication play?

My suggestion is for communicators - the ones who get paid to do that for a living - is to begin dedicating more of their abilities to inform or educate rather than persuade. Such a request, I know, is a tall order. But it is not an impossible one to work toward. It can be done. People are more at their best when they are informed. Generally, they tend to make better choices and behave more kindly and rationally. So many miscues and divisions occur more out of ignorance. Ignorance and false and misleading information also breed intolerance. And all this leads to the fear to which Madam Curie referred.