The Basic Idea Behind Teaching

Man's Inability To Communicate Is A Result Of His Failure To Listen Effectively.

We Cannot Change, We Cannot Move Away From What We Are, Until We Thoroughly Accept What We Are. Then Change Seems To Come About Almost Unnoticed.

An Empathic Way Of Being Can Be Learned From Empathic Persons. Perhaps The Most Important Statement Of All Is That The Ability To Be Accurately Empathic Is Something Which Can Be Developed By Training. Therapists, Parents And Teachers Can Be Helped To Become Empathic. This Is Especially Likely To Occur If Their Teachers And Supervisors Are Themselves Individuals Of Sensitive Understanding. It Is Most Encouraging To Know That This Subtle, Elusive Quality, Of Utmost Importance In Therapy, Is Not Something One Is "born With", But Can Be Learned, And Learned Most Rapidly In An Empathic Climate.

The Paradigm Of Western Culture Is That The Essence Of Persons Is Dangerous; Thus, They Must Be Taught, Guided, And Controlled By Those With Superior Authority.

We In The West Seem To Have Made A Fetish Out Of Complete Individual Self-sufficiency, Of Not Needing Help, Of Being Completely Private Except In A Very Few Selected Relationships.