"An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind." - Mahatma Gandhi
To me this is just one of those catchy quotes, and that it is not the best in the world to teach anyone any lesson. Why? It is flawed. Some can then simply counter-justify, "I will then just go for a tooth for an eye; that way, I don't help make the whole world blind but still I can find justice for myself." I think, yes, "an eye for an eye" is an old rule that, now we know, is not the best way forward to resolve conflicts.
So tell people that directly. And then be more specific about better alternatives. If you use these catchy quotes, sometimes they could be remembered only for their rhyme, not their reason.
Metaphors are hired-wired neurologically and it aids memory and learning. Telling people directly the message is also flawed at the level of contexts and will not always be useful especially long-term and locally. It will be met with resistance and will break rapport severely to the point of direct opposition.
ReplyDeleteSome intelligent persons are not careful about it and so instead of having more time to contribute further they are silenced early by resistance. I think they have to consider hidden systems in human communication. So we need both as a part of our repertoire that we may be able to have flexibility depending on the person we are giving the message.
Another bunch of good points. Thanks! And yes, definitely, flexibility! Related to that, I guess it also depends on context -- this might work on some people, but again, there's no one-size-fits-all solution, as you have pointed out.
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