Blog Post #1

The first couple of weeks in class, we have been discussing compassionate, critical listening, while comparing the differences between that and hearing. The quote from the text that stuck with me the most was "the relationship between speaker and listener as "I-thou", meaning an ethical, respectful engagement between two people who must consider the other perspective carefully"(Warren & Fassett, 2015). I think that people are so quick to reply to what someone else is saying, that sometimes the "considering the other perspective carefully" is lost. Many people are naturally a little selfish, which is absolutely fine every now and then, but when it comes to conversing, I believe we as humans are so ready to hear ourselves speak, and to talk about what we want to talk about, that we don't actively listen to what the other person is saying. We merely hear what they are saying, without really thinking about their point of view, and quickly give our opinions. I think to have a meaningful conversation, you have to critically think about what the other person is saying before giving a reply. No, that won't always happen in conversation or our everyday lives, but if we aim to be more compassionate and critical listeners more often, we can give a more meaningful, empathetic response when it is needed.