As our society becomes more polarized, people lose touch with how to have civil conversations. When discussions become about who has better or worse ideas, it can easily turn into an argument instead of a conversation.
People also tend to use emotional arguments rather than logical ones. This is not only bad for your mental health, but also hard to do when you are trying to convince someone else of something.
When debates turn into fights, even if they were started over an issue that can be debated, then things get ugly really fast. People may start saying hurtful things that will damage their relationships with others around them.
This would probably make most people stop talking about the issues altogether. So, we don’t talk about politics anymore because no one feels like talking about it!
Luckily, there are some ways to improve your communication skills outside of just avoiding political topics. These lessons focus more on helping you speak as clearly and honestly as possible without using offensive language.
There are many different types of communication, and this article will discuss some basics of creating open, honest conversations.
I love technology
Technology is an integral part of our daily lives. It shapes how we live, work and play. There are no longer any natural barriers to using it – you can use it anywhere, at anytime!
It’s incredible to think that just decades ago, people didn’t have access to computers or smartphones. Now they do! The way in which technology has integrated into our everyday life has increased exponentially.
We now have mobile phones with cameras, laptops, tablets and computer screens that fit in your hands, and all of these devices connect to the internet via wifi or data plans.
This article will talk about why liberal arts isn’t so great for students who struggle to find employment after graduation. But first, let us look at what makes up the liberal art field.
I love math
While studying art, music or literature is great for your overall well-being, it is not an essential degree like psychology or business. Most of these areas can be learned through online courses and/or self-study. Even if you never become professionally trained in one of these fields, just because you learn how to put colors together or read a few books does not make you less intelligent!
Many people use their artistic skills to enhance their daily lives by creating paintings, drawing pictures, writing stories and poems, designing logos and flyers, and even crafting furniture and homes. Some find this fun, while others may want to make money off of it or at least earn a good compliment.
Liberal arts degrees focus more on educating students about different disciplines of the humanities (literature, language, philosophy). This includes things such as reading, grammar and vocabulary, rhetoric, and communication theory. These are important career paths that anyone can pursue.
Education in liberal arts focuses also on teaching students something beyond the classroom setting, such as teamwork, leadership, and communication practices. All of these play a crucial role in our society today where technology advances faster than ever before.
Given all of this, I believe education should have a much higher tuition cost than it currently does. In fact, I would completely eliminate undergraduate student loans!
Students could instead apply to vocational schools or universities with no tuition costs.
I love history
History is such an important topic because it teaches us about past events, cultures, and ourselves. Historical figures have influenced our society for good or bad, but we can learn something from everyone!
Historical figures like Mahatma Gandhi inspired people to practice nonviolent conflict resolution, while Adolf Hitler stirred hatred in others his ability to motivate large groups of people.
History also teaches us about different cultures, how they functioned, and what worked and didn’t work in their system. We can apply this knowledge to our own culture and systems.
The other major thing that historical figures teach us about is themselves. We get to see their strengths and weaknesses, things they struggled with, and what was most important to them. These lessons help us understand who they were as human beings and helps us find out more about ourselves.
I love languages
Speaking several languages is one of my favorite things to do. Not only are there new words to learn, but you can make some cool connections with other countries and cultures.
I’ve traveled abroad many times, so knowing another language has always helped me explore more of the world.
It also helps when traveling because it doesn’t cost anything to look up vocabulary or even speak in a second language!
A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to tour China as part of my job. It was very difficult at first trying to communicate in Mandarin, but now I feel much better prepared.
Now that I have mastered English, French, and Spanish, I hope to soon pursue a degree in any one of those areas.
I love literature
A few weeks ago, I read somewhere that people with more education have higher average income levels. That made me kind of laugh because it is such an obvious truth!
I also think it is very important to enjoy what you are studying. If you don’t like something, you will fail it. And we all know how hard students struggle in school these days.
So why should everyone else care? Because education can change your life for the better or for the worse depending on what field you choose.
It can give you a good job, but only if you are qualified enough. It can make you feel bad about yourself if you can’t seem to find any books you truly connect with.
Because of this, there are now many ways to learn about reading books. You can take some courses at a university, purchase a book and study it from there, or even just pick out a genre you want to read and go from there.
I love art
Art has always existed, of course, but what we call “the arts” — literature, music, theater, dance, sculpture, painting — are not exclusively products of wealthy elites in privileged societies. They exist everywhere people create things to express themselves or connect with others.
In fact, one could make an argument that they were the defining feature of advanced civilizations. After all, when early humans painted pictures on cave walls, they weren’t talking about political ideologies or studies of human anatomy.
And yet, these days, we seem to be losing interest in the beauty of art as a means for understanding our world and ourselves.
We increasingly learn nothing about history from reading classic books and listening to original recordings. We no longer understand anything about life by studying great literary works and exploring different cultures through their art and artifacts.
I know, because I spent my childhood immersed in such activities. My favorite book series was The Chronicles of Narnia, which includes stories set in various time periods and countries. As a kid, I loved learning about Greek mythology through the tales of Zeus, Apollo, Athena and other gods and goddesses. (As an adult, I’ve since read some Plato and Aristotle!)
Music was another powerful tool for education. Classical composers have left behind masterpieces full of profound ideas and emotions. Artists like Picasso, Michelangelo and Da Vinci made bold use of color, shape and proportion to convey complex messages.
I love philosophy
Philosophy is about asking questions and exploring ideas to understand how things work, why they are the way they are, and what possibilities exist for changing or altering those that seem wrong.
Philosophy is also the study of good and evil, moral theories, and ethics. It explores topics like free will, knowledge, reality, and life after death.
These concepts can be explored in any number of disciplines, but none more so than others. For example, physics investigates matter, energy, and the universe as a whole, while biology looks at living organisms and their relation to each other and the environment.
However, even though these two fields appear separate and distinct, you get the same answers in both when you ask “what is the nature of being?” or “what happens when we die?”
That is because they address different aspects of the same thing- existence!
Existence is our current state, the space in which we live our lives; it is what makes us who we am and everything we experience arises due to this fundamental property of matter.
So although science deals with material components of the world, it still touches upon important existential issues we face as humans. That is why philosophers are such influential thinkers– she/he asks big hard questions and offers up new perspectives and ways to look at old ones.
I love psychology
Social studies, linguistics, art history, music theory, literature- all of these are important fields that teach you about humanity and how we relate to each other. You can learn something from every one of them!
I’m not saying everyone has to study social studies or literature in order to be good people, but if you want to understand why some people make bad decisions then you have to know what makes someone else decide to put themselves aside and help another person.
You have to be able to recognize when someone is being selfless and try to repay their kindness with kind actions of your own. And knowing what influences people and how they behave helps you do just that.
These skills are very transferable. For example, studying sociology will give you knowledge about business and marketing, while studying economics teaches you about finance.
But nothing teaches you about human nature like reading and learning about past civilizations, ancient cultures, and different religions.
We’re still quite similar to those who lived thousands of years ago even though many things have changed; most notably our way of life. They knew what it took to keep people happy, content, and working together for common goals.
Reading about other people’s lives also gives us a sense of what it was like back then which is helpful because a lot of this information forms the basis for how we feel about ourselves, our place in the world, and how well adjusted we are as individuals.
