Understanding is deeper than knowledge. Many people know you, but very few understand you.
This is one of the many thoughts that tells us that it is not necessary to have a lot of knowledge when understanding others. As nothing makes you a better person than being understanding towards others. A knowledgeable person doesn't need to always understand you. It needs a lot more than knowledge to understand others.
Understanding comes through communication, and understanding we find the way to peace.
Also, if you need people around you and your surroundings to be happy, you first need to understand them and empathize with them. Then, only you will be able to figure out their problems and needs.
As a member of the staff of my school, I know my students. I understand them, their behaviour, their mood, their problems, their attitude and their anger. Everything they are going through. I can do it as I try to understand them and think according to their perspective.
I am also fully aware of the behaviour changes of my family members. Their needs and problems. I know when my sons are happy or sad or angry. I am also able to figure out why they have those mood swings.
I also know how my cows are doing. What they need and why they are behaving strangely.
This is all because I am staying with them from the start. I have been taking care of them since I found them. I have always tried to understand them.
Understanding is fundamental and why it is important is because we live in a world that has become selfish and only thinks about ourselves. The emotions like anger, happiness, sadness, irritation, compassion, and understanding are part of the social world.
To maintain balance in the world, it is essential to have an understanding of nature.
Understanding brings kindness, happiness, compassion and cares to others. Understanding can also help us to reason out our anger also and keep ourselves and the other calm. All the emotions are interlinked with understanding.
Thoughtfulness
To be thoughtful means to be full of thoughts, and it also means to be considerate of others. It also indicates that we are kind or sympathetic towards each other.
We could also say that thoughtfulness includes doing good things for others without any selfish motive and expecting something in return. Sending flowers or gifts to others to make them happy, smile, or wish them whenever you meet them shows your thoughtfulness towards them. Thinking about others is also a part of thoughtfulness. It also means helping others in their difficult times or taking care of your family. Students need to have sympathy, kindness and care towards others, which can only come when they are thoughtful and think about others. For inculcating thoughtfulness in the student's many activities can be done in class, making a student kind, motivated, and helpful.
The activities such as teachers can narrate them moral stories or stories related to kindness or watch movies that motivate them or be aware of others. We can ask them to do role plays where they can show some kindness or the act of caring for others.
Teachers can have fun games for students regarding thoughtfulness. They can make a kindness tree in their class to write good things about their classmates every day. Each day they can write for different people. By doing such activities, they will know what others are doing for them and what they are doing.
Motivation can be inculcated in students through rewards or praises. For example, whenever the students answer in class, they can praise them or provide stars or stickers. The students can also appreciate the kid by giving positive feedback or giving applause to the student. Also, if a student gives a wrong answer, the teacher should not criticise him for the wrong answer but appreciate an answer, and the other students should not laugh or humiliate each other. In this way, students enjoy the class, but they get motivated to answer more and interact more.
So being thoughtful towards your surroundings is the best thing to make the world a better place for you and the people.
- Bharti Dangwal@JMMS, John Martyn Memorial School, Salangaon, Dehradun