Essay Question Eduexplora at UCLA:

Hasn’t it happened to you that you see some things differently than how other people
see them? Let’s say, for example, you are with a friend who wants to buy a painting.
You do not like it and get shocked at how expensive it is. You try to discourage your
friend from purchasing it. However, your friend looks at the painting and describes to
you the mastery in the use of the brush, light and color, the feelings and mood that the
artist intended to transmit. Furthermore, your friend shares with you that it evokes
special childhood memories. This may even change your initial opinion about the
painting or at least make you realize that not everyone sees things in the same way you
do, and you should respect that.

This openness to receive information from other parties or even counterparties may
seem trivial but is extremely important in the scope of human relations. Imagine how
many unnecessary conflicts may be avoided or ended just by being willing to look at a
situation from another person’s perspective to have a more accurate understanding of
such. You can discover reasons that you did not notice before. You can realize
important things you missed because you were focusing on other issues. You may learn
new things by considering different ideas. This attitude will help you make more
informed decisions.

In order to coexist in a civilized society, we need to reduce conflicts with others or at

least avoid them from escalating to larger ones. This requires us to be empathic and
flexible enough to ponder as much relevant information from others as possible. In the
end, we may disagree with them, but at least we may have greater chances to act for
the right reasons. If we all act in this way, imagine how many conflicts we could avoid or
end peacefully before fighting, going to court or to war. This is not just about being good
neighbors but contributing to the perpetuation of our species.