Mutual Consultation

whole of society becomes like a family. Here consultation does not only mean addressing major issues. Issues of that kind no doubt warrant consultation but more important is personal consultation. Everyone needs to receive others’ advice in his or her daily life. The habit of consultation creates a degree of trust between the different members of society. Mutual trust and the spirit of cooperation are very important for building the best kind of society, and consultation is an essential part of that process. Consultation is not an individual exercise: it is a bilateral procedure. Consultation is a mutual exchange—in its true spirit, a great source of intellectual development. When two individuals discuss some subject with each other, a third idea is bound to emerge, and it is this third idea which leads to personality development. Consultation in one sense is a give and take culture. When you discuss an issue with someone, it is not simply a verbal exchange. During a discussion you take something from the other and also give something to the other. Fruitful consultation has no conditions attached to it. It can be conducted between the rich and the poor, between seniors and juniors, between the educated and the uneducated, between the young and the old, between man and woman, in short, between everyone and everyone else. This allencompassing nature of consultation makes it fruitful to the ultimate extent.