Guest guest Posted April 16, 2006 Report Share Posted April 16, 2006 L: What does " don't you think " mean? ... At this point, communication ends, I think. ~~~ L. has a point. The question is not a open question (a true inquiry) but a rhetorical question, i.e. a statement in disguise. And like rhetorical questions in general, there is a summary curtness about it. It does not openly engage the other party, but rather cuts off, brings to an end, and with a tone of dismissal, effectively expressing judgement of the other. That being said, it is *very difficult* to cultivate open, nonjudgemental dialog. Apparently the difficulty lies in the prevalence of judgemental thinking in the first place. If there are labels of the other being formed in the mind (and with each label all the corresponding baggage) then those attitudes will sooner or later evidence themselves in the interchange. So if judgemental language is showing up in a dialog the root of discord is always going to be deeper than the words appearing on the surface. If there is discord arising from judgement, to place the blame on the other party is always astray from the real root. For to place blame is in itself to make judgement, so in the very impulse to so place blame is evidence to oneself that the spirit of discord already lies within oneself. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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