I've been thinking a lot about what I value in my fellow peoplekind...thought I'd write a bit about a few things that have struck me in days/weeks/months gone by...
Fingers crossed, I'll make it to #5 by Friday.
Today's topic: Diplomacy
I think this word gets a bad rap...but it's such a wonderful quality to have, in sincerity. Most people would use 'tact' in it's place. Either is essentially at the heart of denoting "the ability to deal with others with skill, sensitivity, and finesse", but there are slight differences. Tact implies propriety and the ability to speak or act unoffensively, whereas diplomacy goes a bit further and implies adroit management of difficult situations. I like the additional connotation implied with diplomacy.
And here's why: we are such a conflict-avoidant society that we have grown far apart from our neighbors and loved ones and tend to just 'call it off' in relationships when we face even a reasonable amount conflict. I think we'd all be MUCH better off if we could learn to sharpen each other with gentle-but-poignant words instead of the more-often-seen extremes of either 'the silent treatment' or just being downright MEAN to each other.
I'd have to say that I don't know too many people that fall to either extreme, but I only know a few who I'd say have a very good grasp on this little word. I submit that Don Munton and Catha Duck possess this quality in abundance. Some would say it's because of their jobs...but I think it's a quality for the masses.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment