Eleanor Roosevelt once rightly said that great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people. This quote could not be truer in today’s context.
Everywhere we look, we are surrounded by people who discuss all sorts of things on a daily basis. Words, dialogue, and conversations are an integral part of our lives.
Words give us the ability to relate our thoughts, views, and emotions with others in a comprehensible and easy manner. However, we do not always realize that everything we say ultimately reflects our personality and attitude towards others and life in general.
Let us probe further and understand what Roosevelt meant when the former First Lady of America said this!
What Do Great Minds Discuss?
As mentioned by Roosevelt, great minds have a tendency to discuss ideas, brainstorming, and sparking creativity as a result of those discussions. It isn’t easy to detect great minds amidst us, mainly because they tend to enjoy their own company and introspect.
Great minds are, more often than not, thinkers, and they do not indulge in small talks or frivolous conversations about others. A large part of their time is spent in the pursuit of knowledge, innovation, and novelty.
Great minds are also problem solvers as they look for unique ways to remove hurdles and create new paths to achieve something.
In short, they do not talk just for the sake of it. They talk to stimulate creative ideas and turn them into something big.
How Often Do We Discuss The Events Happening In The World?
Very often, yes? Be it politics, the environment, the latest on-dits about celebrities, and much more, average-minded people tend to discuss all those events that have already happened or are happening around them.
In other words, they excel at detecting and speaking at length about the various problems that exist. Yet, they have no appropriate solutions for them.
Average-minded people are good at starting conversations, stating their opinions, and sharing facts. However, they are not problem solvers.
Do You Ever Discuss People?
Finally, at the risk of generalizing, I will say that the most prevalent kind of people you see around you are small-minded people. Small minds are often gossip mongers and judgmental.
They believe that they are always right and have a one-way ticket to passing judgments and verdicts on other people and their lives. They are also deeply stuck in their behaviors and habits, which makes it difficult for them to change their attitudes.
There is a lot of generalizing where small-minded people are concerned, and they also get offended easily when somebody has an opposing view on a subject matter. Hence, they have little tolerance for the opinion of others, especially when it contradicts their own.
Simply put, small-minded people can engage in small talk and discuss other people without any challenges or qualms for the better part of their day. This is also what stunts their growth and progress in life.
Food for Thought
We live in a world where the norm is to speak more than listen. However, we learn more when we listen than when we talk. And the more we learn, the more we receive from others, which, in turn, stimulates our creative mind.
Therefore, it can stand us in good stead to engage in intelligent conversations and refrain from discussing others or gossiping about others in a social or casual setting.
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