How Communication Changes Lives
I sat in the cab on my way to the airport as the driver zoomed over Delhi’s wide roads. The sun was rising over the horizon as a new day dawned – quite literally, as election day approached the city of Delhi.
The political environment was charged, and so was the sense of religious divisiveness that came along with it. Quite naturally, everyday communications became political conversations, and so it happened during my cab ride.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, quite unexpectedly our conversation took a heated turn, and the driver began to jab hate towards a certain religious community. Angered, but not wanting to destroy the state of serenity in my heart, I paused and imagined how my spiritual guide would take this conversation forward.
I learned that instead of getting charged up,
by trusting the
intrinsic goodness
that lies within the heart of the other,
magic can happen for both.
The pause allowed me to step into the shoes of the driver, imagining what his life looked like. What was his context? How could I connect to his life, and appeal to the best that he represented? Holding the intrinsic goodness that bound us both in our hearts, we walked our conversation as if on a tightrope, and very beautifully it transformed.
A conversation of hatred turned into a conversation of love. Very soon, he began to acknowledge the close relationships and ties he shared with the community members. By the end of our cab ride we thanked each other. I learned that instead of getting charged up, by trusting the intrinsic goodness that lies within the heart of the other, magic can happen for both. I was taking a flight home to Bangalore, and we both reconnected to the home within us – our Heart.
Illustration by UMA MAHESWARI G
