The Simple Lesson of the Echo

CCO/ Mudassar Iqbal/Pixabay

A couple were walking in the mountains when suddenly one of them turns to the other and screams, “Idiot!” To their surprise, they hear a voice repeating somewhere in the distance “Idiot!” Curious, they yelled again, “Stupid,” and the voice repeated, “Stupid.” Trying again, they yelled, “You are great.” And the voice repeated, “You are great.” Trying one last time, they yelled, “I love you,” and the voice repeated, “I love you.”

The simple lesson of the echo heard that day in the mountains is that whatever you put out into the world will return to you. Farmers have known this for many years as indicated by their famous saying, “Whatever you sow (plant), you will reap (harvest)."

The word "echo" originates from the Greek myth where Hera, the wife of Zeus, discovered the nymph Echo had lied to her and thus punished Echo to repeat whatever someone else said to her. We now use the word Echo to indicate a repetition of an idea, feeling, or event.

Like the echo, our life is a reflection of what we think, say, and do—reflected back into our own lives, in our well-being, and in our relationships with others. If we sow hatred and intolerance, we will see more of this in others, and receive more hatred and intolerance in return. If we put out love and honesty, we will see more of this in the world, and in our own lives.

So, if you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want others to be better neighbors, be a better neighbor yourself. If you want to save the planet, begin by being more wise with your own choices. If you want a better workplace, do your part first to create more respect of others and create better working relations for all.

A good friend of mine, Matthew, wisely told me, “You must be careful with your words. Only use words you really mean. They must come from your heart.” Your own words can come back to help or hurt you. This sentiment was echoed by Panos, a taxi driver, who shared with me his views on the state of today’s conversations: “Today, the conversations seem so superficial. We see others’ lips moving but they aren’t saying what’s in their hearts...and we’ve replaced real conversations with sound bites, texting, and wearing earphones so that no one is really connecting. We also talk too much about things that don’t matter and not enough about things that do.” ¹ If you want to be engaged in deeper conversations, begin yourself by opening up to others on a deeper level, indicating that you are ready to discuss important issues beyond the superficial.

Respecting others means that we are truly interested in them as real people and that we’re not simply interested in them for their titles, fame, money, or possessions. Respecting others means we respect people for who they are and don’t always see them as a means to an end or want them to do things for us. Having respect for others is especially important in today’s workplace, where interpersonal communication tends to be not only more complex and multifaceted but also more superficial and impersonal due to the paradoxical influence of high-tech but not necessarily high-touch technologies. On a human level, everyone wants to know that their voice is heard, that they are valued and not overlooked, and that their efforts really matter. If you want others to respect your ideas, then you must first engage in the echo of respecting theirs.

The echo can return positivity or negativity. If you ask for success but continually prepare for failure, you will get the situation for which you have prepared. If you continually focus on the negative you could actually bring more negativity into your life. For example, if you complain you have very few friends, your complaining may actually push away potential friends and what returns to you in the form of the echo is the very situation you are complaining about.

So remember the simple lesson of the Echo and how it can apply to all aspects of your life. Life will give back to you everything you have given it, in one way or another.