OF
THE INTELLECTUAL-CUM-PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL
“If you want to interact effectively with me, to
influence me -- your spouse, your child, your neighbour, your boss, your
co-worker, your friend -- you first need to understand me” (Covey).
I found it useful to quote these words from a highly
sold and read authority called “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by
Stephen Covey. In this context, I’ll centre my discussion on the 5th
habit, “Seek First to
Understand, Then to be understood”. I’ll not point a finger at anyone but will
mercilessly strip out the shameful hullabaloo that happened in The 17th
January 2015 College Baraza.
If you too were the witness will either support me or
disagree with me, or simply dismiss me to a cockney (spoilt adolescent) student
who does not know anything. And that will be a mistake!
A slight disagreement that happened was the case with
time. The so called wananchi (the likes of me) were given 30 minutes to present
their views, questions and what have them. The college Assembly Hall turned to
a chang’aa, mbege, ulanzi club when the organisers dismissed the idea of
wananchi who wanted more time for what have them.
Most of them shouted, talked loudly and made all sorts
of noise mobilizing people to walk out of the college AH. I covered up my ears
for the noise was deafening. Most of them walked out, but surprisingly some of
them returned after sometimes! So from this point, who is wrong and who is
right?
A careful look at MUCE always tells me that it’s a
place where clean and reasonable academicians are being nurtured. I had the
idea of dismissing that thought following the 17th January incident.
How can you convince me that you are a logical person while you walk out of the
argument room? I guess no justification for that.
A learned person is always proactive; he/she is not
driven by emotions (reactions) but by his/her reasoning. In the reading at hand,
Covey stresses that “The real key to your influence with me is your example,
your actual conduct. Your example flows naturally out of your character, of the
kind of person you truly are -- not what others say you are or what you may
want me to think you are”.
Thus if you shout and walk out of the discussion room
and your ideas not presented- then there is no way a person can listen you;
it’s because that’s what defines you-arrogance! The other day you are likely to
be named pseudo-intellectual.
However, on the other way round, there might be good
reasons for you to walk out. Among others were Time, the absence of the college
key figures in the baraza such as the Principal and DP Academic. Frankly
speaking, this was perhaps a problem but consider this dialogue before nodding
your head in approval:
A: "I can't understand my kid. He just won't
listen to me at all."
B: "You don't understand your son because he
won't listen to you?"
A: "That's right,"
B: "You don't understand your son because he
won't listen to you?"
A: "That's what I said," (impatiently)
B: "I thought that to understand another person,
you needed to listen to him,"
A: "Oh!" "Oh, yeah! But I do understand
him. (Covey)
This is what exactly happens when we are made to
understand little misconceptions like this. We feel ashamed when we realize
that we were wrong. In that day, I remark that we wanted the kid to understand
us before listening him... I am not saying that we were wrong anyway!
It is really a sad experience that I have witnessed at
MUCE. I propose that we be rational and listen to people. Our listening should
not be false. We should appeal to the highest level of listening-empathic.
Empathic Listening is listening with the intent to understand.
I therefore remark that our beloved college should
always be a place for listening, understanding and arguing with strong
scholarly points not some sort of innuendos and gossips about people.
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