Minds, Ideas, Events, and People

I'm in a beautiful place this week, Monterey, CA, and have had plenty of time to THINK without interruption. That doesn't happen very often any more.

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."  I saw this posted on FaceBook this week.  I don't know who the original author was, but it rings true.  Ideas are abstract thoughts, yet to be realized or demonstrated in reality; events are facts happening in reality, not neccessarily good or bad, although they might be one or the other; people are actors, good or bad, and discussing them is typically called gossip.  Nothing good comes of it, and it doesn't solve anything.

Discussing ideas is problem-solving at its core; discussing events is after the fact and usually solves nothing, although it might avoid repeating history; discussing people usually is secretive, hurts feelings, and makes enemies, real or imagined.

Often it is difficult for people to truly discuss ideas, or brainstorm, because agendas get involved, they want to involve events, and/or people, and who did what to whom, and it digresses into less than brainstorming, or problem-solving.  Mediation is about ideas, not about events, legalities, or who did what, and that's why I like it, have done it as a professional for many years, and recommend it.

In today's world, we could use more ideas, fewer events, and people?  Well, I won't comment on that.  That's a very personal perspective, and each person is entitled to their opinion.  People, whether in a family, a community, a nation, or as the world community, should consider trying to open their minds to ideas, and stop focusing on events, and ignoring individual actions and the gossip that follows.  Many times, individuals need, desperately crave, attention, and will do anything, positive or negative, to get that attention.  If their attempts are ignored, and ideas are the focus, then eventually, just maybe, this world will become a place in which we all want, and can continue, to live together.

We are on our way home, to a new chapter; exciting times.  Lots of ideas, looking forward to events, and hoping all the people in our lives will be open to the ideas.