“There’s always room for movement, action, and progress when people are talking to each other instead of about each other.” – Ronald Reagan
Every couple of months I listen to old speeches and radio broadcasts of Ronald Reagan. At times this feels like I’m wasting time. The content you consume plays a huge roll in shaping your thoughts and opinions on what you believe so I try to always be purposeful about what that content is.
Interestingly, one of the things that has inspired me and caused me to think a lot in the past six months has been the speeches of Ronald Reagan. I wrote two other posts in the past about my insights from this past president. Here and here.
Although it seems much of this content could be irrelevant, as some is on specific issues faced when he was president in the ’80s. There is still so much that can be learned in the many insights he has into not only politics but humanity as a race. Even when what he talks about is irrelevant to modern times, I still am able to learn so much even about how he delivers the lines he speaks.
He still stands out in my mind as one of the best communicators of all time.
In one of his speeches I listened to today, he talks about his recent visit to meet with General Secretary Gorbachev from the USSR. This is perhaps one of his more famous speeches and Included in this speech is the quote above.
He talks so much in this speech about the people of the Soviet Union. Not referring to it as a country, but as a land filled with people, just like America. Bridging the gap of hatred and turning it into a battle to improve human relations regardless of nationality.
With his quote, I couldn’t help but think of what a different world it would be if people thought of it daily. What if everyone only talked to people but not about people?
First of all, I believe it would take over 50% of all conversation away. People would be quieter. And maybe it wouldn’t even be all good. I believe there is some good that can come from talking about others with the right mindset.
But imagine a world where literally, no one talks about anyone except the people they are with.
How odd would that be?
This extreme, of course, isn’t what Ronald Reagan is saying. But what if we took it more seriously. What if we stopped people when they started talking about others negatively? What if we held each other to a higher standard? What if others held you to a higher standard?
Countries are made up of people, and what the people do, the country, by nature, also does.
What do you want your country to do more of? Start doing more of it yourself and see the impact that you can have.