Are we really capable of actually listening to another person?
It's a difficult thing to do. Let's go through the process a bit.
Person speaking to me: "My husband has just been in a car accident!"
Me: "Oh my! Is he alright?"
Person: "They don't know yet....he's having all kinds of X-rays and will have to go for a CT scan! He was just driving down the road when a car came up to the intersection.....blah...blah...blah......blah...."
This is where we may begin to drift off into our own thoughts and forget to listen to the rest of the detailed story the other person is pouring out to you. We begin to think perhaps of things like "Oh man, and they just bought that vehicle a month ago....what will happen to her if he dies....I hope they have insurance....dang, I forgot to take out meat for supper....hope I don't forget my meeting tonight....etc. etc. etc.
The listening came only so far and then our own thoughts permeated our minds and we wandered off into OUR world...not the other person's world.
I think it takes a bit of practice. It takes a change in our attitides. It takes letting go of our own ego so that the other person can be heard....their entire story, not just the first few lines.
I'm trying hard to learn this concept of listening. I find it difficult but the more I practice, the better I become...like playing the piano or pole vaulting. Takes practice and a sense that the other person really is more important than me. Now that is even more difficult...after all, who's more important than MOI?!!!
See, that's where our ego can take us...right into ourselves with a capital ME!!!
So, next time we have an interesting or boring conversation with another, let's practice the art of "listening with our hearts" and not only with our ears.
Just takes practice:)
Not sure what brought that on......oh, I think it was son's blog. He was talking a bit about other people's perspectives and the idea of actually listening to the opinions and words of others. All very interesting and thought provoking.
http://matthewkent.blogspot.ca/
1 comment:
"I think it takes a bit of practice. It takes a change in our attitides. It takes letting go of our own ego so that the other person can be heard."
That's so true. Really listening from a deeper place in ourselves often requires an enormous amount of noble effort. It definitely takes practice but it sounds like you're up for the challenge:)
There are amazing potentials that become possible when we genuinely take our attention off of our own ego. What emerges from that space can be quite profound.
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