Symptom of modern society
Posted by: Waterbird on Oct-06-12 10:05 AM (EST)
People are not that attunded to others these days. We live in a narcissistic society. We've lost the skill of listening to people and tuning into their needs as opposed to our own. It's like everyone is competing for attention. That must mean that modern social conditions don't provide people with the attention and fulfillment they need. It wasn't always like this. This started sometime around the 1980s. People used to be more interested in others.
In any helping role, the first step is to listen to the other person's experience and expressed needs. Hear exactly what the person is asking for. Put yourself in the person's place. That too is a lost skill these days---empathy, the ability to see things from another person's perspective.