If Confucius was alive today and observed interactions among the different generations, he might have said that we are experiencing a breakdown in communication. On 29 November, The HEAD Foundation Dialogues focused on the topic of “Bridging Generations with Ancient Wisdom: Understanding and Overcoming the Divide with the Confucian Notion of Li” to understand how we can communicate better.
Mr Jonathan Sim, Associate Fellow of the NUS Teaching Academy, and Lecturer with the Department of Philosophy, at the National University of Singapore, shared his experience of interacting with people from different generations and communicative cultures. He noted how miscommunication and misunderstandings might occur when the way we interact are not aligned with social expectations or our intentions.
The desire for authentic expression, emergence of online li 礼 and adults sharing less of their own experience has contributed to the breakdown in the transmission of li 礼. With growing digitalisation and use of online li, digital natives are less able to handle face-to-face situations leading to tension, misunderstandings and social awkwardness.
Confucianism can give us a richer way to look at symbolic gestures, how we relate to people and things, and relationships. There are ways to improve interactions through good communicative practices, by being role models in demonstrating better li and even by creating our own li to empower ourselves and minimise misunderstandings. Taking such active steps could improve harmony across generations.
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the speakers in this webinar are their own and do not represent the opinions of The HEAD Foundation.
