Saturday, September 13, 2008

Be responsive !!

What is the sign of life ? If someone is alive, a clear sign is that of the person responding to stimulus. If spoken / written to, a reply; if smiled at, a return smile; if hurt, a cry etc. If a person is not responding, he / she may as well be dead. So one basic responsibility of each of us is to respond to stimulus.

But response is not just about reacting. It is also about reacting with some thought around it. Reaction is negative. Reaction is more impulsive. Reaction is instantaneous. For example, if someone insults us, a normal person would react with another insult or a feeling of hurt. Response and responsiveness is to go beyond the normal pattern. It could be, in this example, to introspect and understand the reasons for the provocation and form a positive response to address it.

The two extreme positions to avoid are complete ignorance / lack of response and an instant reaction without thinking. The middle path as recommended will fetch you a better understanding of the world around and better relationship with all.

Be responsive and not reactive !!

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