Listening
is unselfish. That’s why there always seem to be more people waiting to
talk than those who are waiting to listen. We are all more selfish than
not; we want people to care about what we have to say. But if we learn
to think about listening as something sacred, we might be able to change
that.
It
starts with putting a significant value on what people have to say.
Their words eventually provide a pathway to the soul, so we want to know
about that path and be careful on it.
It
is also true that listening is not passive. Listening involves being
engaged, locked-in, locked-on, alert and awake to what is being said,
and able to rephrase it to be sure you heard it right. Believe me, I’m
speaking of what I know, but don’t do most of the time. If I ask someone
to rephrase something, it’s not to clarify; it’s because I didn’t
listen the first time. It takes a good deal of effort to do this right,
but it will make a world of difference if you do. Listening is not easy.
John Fischer
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