Published on 2024-03-15 13:05 by Sam Wu

Andrew Burke-Stevenson

Listen first. There are a lot of times when people jump to conclusions. And it’s fair to make conclusions sometimes, but first, you’ve got to listen and make sure you understand what people are trying to say. Really try to get their perspective. Understand their lives back and understand how they could have gotten there. Even if they have a wrong opinion, an ignorant opinion, or a bigoted opinion, it’s good to understand why, so you can address it.

I’ve tried to approach conversations from curiosity and I’ve seen other people around me not do that. It’s kind of frustrating because you end up learning how a lot of people get to these really awful conclusions.

If you look at how they got there, you can become more informed. You don’t have to forgive them, but you at least can understand how you can make a difference in preventing that going forward.

Written by Sam Wu