5 Ways to Build Unity

 

1. Look for ways to help.

Maimonides (Character 6:3) writes that a person should be concerned about other people’s spiritual, emotional and material needs, just as one is concerned about his own needs.
Go out of your way to help others. Give a patient, listening ear (with cellphone off) when someone needs to talk. Make suggestions for someone who is trying to find a job or a marriage partner. Offer to grocery shop to give your spouse a break.

2. Give the benefit of the doubt.

You don’t know a person until you’ve been in his shoes. In other words, you can never really know. Everyone has their challenges; everyone is moving at their own pace. This is the meaning of the Talmudic imperative: "Be patient in judgment" (Ethics of the Fathers 1:1).
Do you keep a different standard of observance than the next guy? Don’t judge. The Talmud says: "Nobody knows whose blood is redder." No one can judge the worth of another person because no one knows where the other is situated on the ladder of life – where he began and how many rungs he has climbed.

3. Focus on the positive.

We all have bad days where we’re tense or disappointed. Although I may feel like letting out a burst of criticism, I try to flip it upside down (or right-side up, in this case) – to take that moment of potentially negative interaction and use it to say something complimentary, endearing. Something that will build the other person and build our relationship. It’s just a matter of flicking the switch, a decision to unify rather than divide.

4. Respect elders.

There was a time when society accorded honor to the elderly. Today, when one's worth seems to be based on an ability to master the latest technology, the "older generation" simply cannot compete.
Judaism teaches that every old person has a special wisdom that comes with life experience. Humans are made up of two parts, physical and spiritual. As a person ages, the body weakens, thus enabling the spiritual side to exert itself to a greater degree. The Talmud delineates age 80 as peak spiritual strength – the prime of life!

5. Share wisdom.

One of the greatest gifts you can impart is the gift of wisdom.
Rabbi Noah Weinberg writes: Whenever you learn something – from books, lectures, or life experience – do so with the goal of sharing with others. If it was fascinating, how did it change you? What did you learn about living? And how can you transfer that insight to others? If something is worth learning, it's worth sharing.
Let’s say that your friend is struggling in marriage. If you have an insight into how to achieve marital harmony, share it. Invite your friend for coffee and, without being judgmental or intimidating, impart the wisdom that you know.






SOURCE:http://www.aish.com