Although preaching can come from a sunny corner of our beings, it implies inequality between two people. And we all know that feeling less of something is not a reasonable price to pay for learning.
People around us have been exposed to different experiences, different media and have been passed on a different set of beliefs, all this on top of their unique self. It is challenging to share a point of view out of context (when the context is all within you) in a way that encapsulates the journey to that understanding, not just the final outcome.
The cliche ‘Everyone needs to make their own mistakes’ reflects how we learn. Learning is an intimate process and conversation can breezly steer the person away from going head on into the cliffs. But we can’t take responsibility for another person’s evolution and set of beliefs, however we preach.
Preaching claims a superior form of moral compass and it comes with responsibility. Whilst role-models are picked based on traits that someone finds inspiring, preachers as self-proclaimed role-models trust that they have similar traits.
If we have preaching abilities, these can be interpreted as the potential to become a role-model or a coach. In both cases the emphasis is moved from the person preaching to the audience.
We like preaching people because:
- It makes us feel superior
- It makes us feel like we matter
- It builds a false rapport
Do you think that people like being preached? Can you think of a few reasons why?
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