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Knocking the stuffing out of boredom
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Thursday, June, 10, 2010
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by John Fischer
It's been said that Theodore Roosevelt would stay up late at night before entertaining a visitor or dignitary, reading up on something he had found out the guest was particularly interested in. Imagine that: going out of your way to learn something that may not interest you at all, just so he could contribute to the conversation something he knew his guest would appreciate.
Olen from Rancho Cucamonga, California sent us this: "Warren Bennis once said, 'Boredom is what happens when I fail to make someone interesting.'"
Now that is a total reversal of the expected. When someone is boring, the assumption is usually that… well… it is that person's fault that they are boring. That person is simply a boring person. Mr. Bennis turns that on its head and puts the responsibility for seeing someone as interesting in the eye of the beholder. He says we are the ones who make people interesting, by finding out what they are interested in and getting them to talk about it. And, of course, it's extremely important to really listen as well.
This would fit nicely with understanding that we are all made in God's image. If I fail to find something of interest in a person, then I am saying God is boring. If every person bears a piece of the image of God, then everyone is interesting at some level. It's up to me to dig for treasure in the people around me.
Think about this today—that you are responsible for finding something beautiful about all the people in your day.
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