Friday, 12 September 2014

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #295 Listen

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #295 Listen


My personal experience with the world is that everybody loves to talk, but few bother to listen. People speak at me every day in my job, and many a time I’m asked a question only to be spoken over the top of. People have forgotten how to listen. With this Internet world where everyone can have their say at the keyboard without much in the way of repercussion, the trend is taking off in the oral world where people let loose with their mouths and don’t pay attention to anything that’s happening around them.
It’s important to listen. You may have valid points to make but so does the other person, and if you expect to be heard, then you must also listen. Talking over the top of each other is not a conversation, nor a debate, it’s just noise and no one walks away any the wiser. Just being quiet while the other person speaks is no good if your mind is concentrating on the next thing you want to say, without hearing what the other person is saying. If we stop, pay attention, and listen to each other we are better able to understand each other, and understanding leads to a better world. We don’t have to agree, we just have to listen, learn, and understand. It works on every level, from two people talking to each other, to governments debating the best options for their country, and to religious people hearing what someone else has to say – listening is important. Of course, you also have to hear what the person is saying – take it in, understand, learn.
Through listening, we can create a better world.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

So true!
There's a very good reason we were given two ears and one mouth. We should use them in that ratio!