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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Communication Basics: The Ability to Ponder not just Accept or Reject as Shameful

I wish I could recall the quote from Aristotle in full.  The basic gist was that the ability to wonder or ponder about something rather than to accept or reject as shameful is a virtue.

I recall here the story of Joseph in Genesis in which Joseph's brothers reject his dream and its interpretation as foolish, but Jacob his father pondered these things in her heart.  I believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, also pondered some of the things said about her son.  In both cases, neither parent immediately accepted or rejected what was said about the future.  Rather they pondered them so that later they could either accept or reject what was said.  In both cases, these parents both accepted what was said in the end.

So when someone communicates with you, don't think you must reject something just because right at that moment you cannot accept it. You have another option.  You can instead ponder over what you cannot immediately accept.  So ponder away when acceptance or rejection is premature.  Are you now pondering what I have said?


Sincerely,

Jon

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