Question

prepare a brief magazine article about the issue of intercultural dialogue. You will need to collect ideas and examples to support your own point of view.

Answer 1

Last Friday I went for a walk and as I watched people go by, I suddendly saw two men fighting over their right to a parking space. And as they went on about how each of them got there first, I remembered that the same issue is brought about whenever two nations have a clash of arguments. To me, a solution to this problem would be simply listening at first. More often than not, conflicts stem from a lack of properly understanding what the person in front of us has to say. Dialogue unfolds both ways and that is why diplomacy is a lost art. A good example of this would be communication between various religious leaders. In my opinion, simply accepting that everyone is right in their own way when it comes to this delicate subject is already a step forward. Another aspect to take into account is keeping an open mind whenever we face different habits and approaches. If we would be able to accept that a new point of view might actually help solve a long-standing problem, the world would be a better place. For example, perhaps an European would have trouble understanding an Asian's perspective on life but as soon as he remembers that they have a different history and have come to where they are as a result of another series of events, they might actually come to admire their strenghts and resilience through time. To sum up, understanding and listening is the key to any intercultural dialogue and tolerance could help solve many problems.