POLITIKA IR DIPLOMATIJA

Krikščionių demokratų vizija

KSM Lietuvoje

PR=RsV

Europromo - nauja profesija

Bažnyčia be PR'o, Bažnyčia be ateities

Butiglione's ir gėjų teisės 

VERTYBĖS

Kam Europai krikščioniška konstitucija?

Žurnalistas institucijoje – triusikai laikraštyje

LT tapatybė

Meilužių fotografijos pro užtrauktas užuolaidas 

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Lesson 1. Listen

The winning essay of the essay competition under the Network Effect event organised by the British Council in Bratislava (2006-10-18). The essay was published in the leading Slovak daily "The SME". 

Have you ever stood on a roof of a skyscraper watching down to your city? Turn down the volume – what do you see? A bunch of idiots running back and forth, breaking each others’ cars and bones, queuing to get to work and to the cinema. Isn’t it pathetic? It is indeed, if only you erase yourself from that picture. Unfortunately, when you get back in there – everything becomes hell of important and crucial. So, let us not climb down for a moment. Let us stop the time for a while and think over.

You can see a little child crossing the street on the way to school. Someday this little creature will be bombing you or using “Smith & Wesson” for business because some other child had stepped over. Or maybe this tiny citizen will be sitting bored office hours and dreaming of writing a poem, just because the market needed this kind of a specialist. Either way, if we turn the clock 20 years forward, you will see this then-to-be human being rushing with no glint in the eyes and looking funny.

Now, take a look at a middle aged galloping home with supermarket bags. You know this-type-of-guy’s agenda: job for money, sports club for good shape, entertainment for relaxation, etc. – many “fors”. Alternatively, this citizen can be striving to find job or free-riding from social schemes or criminal activities. Or even more alternatively, it is an artist or a philosopher, not understanding the society, neither understood by it. Either way (turning the clock 20 years ahead), when this person is taken to hospital for the last time, most probably you will read a question in the eyes: “what was it for”?

Now, which one of those are you? Fancy changing it? Many books say it is a huge task and a long way (might even take 20 years). But maybe it is not that exhausting? For the beginning, let us start with a simple thing. You and your city have been taught to express yourselves, to speak, to demand, to react. Forget about it. Pump up the volume and listen. Listen to the core of every citizen, to their inmost thoughts and be ready for a surprise.

The little child will appear to be smart – much smarter than those who shout louder and block the silent ones from speaking. This growing person will cast to you misunderstanding of religious rules, also the wishes and the dreams. Just listen. The hurrying-one will explain the reasons for stress, impatience and xenophobia and throw millions of questions about the sense of life and the misperceptions of the neighbours. Just listen.

Just stop and listen to a human being: a child, a grown up, a Christian, a Muslim, a woman, a man. This is the first step to perfect society. Where there is listening, there is no haste. Where there is listening, there is no misunderstanding. Then we will speak about changing and moving.